From Meghan Markle to Stephen Fry, Helen Mirren to Ashley Walters - the roll-call of contributors to Save the Children’s #SaveWithStories campaign is as varied as it is illustrious. The premise is simple: each celebrity films themselves reading a children’s story for Save the Children to share on social media, helping raise money to support communities hardest-hit by the coronavirus crisis. It’s also very fitting of the current Covid-induced lockdown. The content is self-shot at home, authentic and compelling in its relative lack of production prowess. What’s more, the whole campaign hinges on cooperation and goodwill of the kind that - for so many of us - has come to symbolise the spirit of the coronavirus era.
Save with Stories beginning
Save with Stories would never have happened in the first place without the tenacity of Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams in the US, followed by Poppy Delevingne here in the UK, who spearheaded efforts to get it off the ground, pulling invisible strings to involve their talented inner circles on both sides of the Atlantic. Then there’s the generosity of the celebrity readers themselves, not to mention everyone in the UK and worldwide who watched the films, dug deep into their pockets, and donated to our coronavirus appeal.
Support of the publishing industry
But another, perhaps somewhat hidden, catalyst for success was the instantaneous, widespread support of the publishing industry. Because in each video, sharing the spotlight with the actors and musicians and countless national treasures, are the books themselves - each and every one donated by the likes of Andersen Press, Egmont, HarperCollins, Scholastic, Walker Books, and the distributor Little Box of Books. These companies, together with their authors and illustrators, have gifted more than 100 much-loved titles to the campaign, waiving the copyright to each one so that we could share content far and wide across our social media accounts.
The resulting library of films - available on Save the Children’s Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels - not only provides some much-needed light relief for children and their carers whilst stuck at home, but has also enabled us to engage vast digital audiences with our coronavirus appeal and raise vital funds for vulnerable children - which in the current context of social restrictions is no mean feat.
Acts of generosity
These acts of generosity, of creative collaboration and unity, are now more valuable than ever. Coronavirus has created the ultimate conundrum for charities and NGOs like Save the Children, simultaneously generating the greatest humanitarian challenge of our generation, whilst also shutting down so many of our traditional fundraising avenues. There are no challenge events; our shops have been shut; our supporters and staff are stuck at home. Like everyone, we’ve had to adapt, and fast - because there’s a lot at stake.
We know that this pandemic risks having a lasting physical and psychological impact on children both here in the UK and all over the world. Millions are now out of school, many household incomes have vanished overnight, critical health services are under severe strain and the safety nets protecting children against poverty and malnutrition are at breaking point.
But we also know that together we can get through this. By working with the private sector - and forming innovative partnerships like this one with the publishing industry - we can ensure that children don’t just survive the coronavirus crisis, but continue to learn and thrive throughout it. And it doesn’t hurt to have a handful of the world’s most famous faces on side too.
