ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 01st Jul, 2020) Reach Campaign announced today that its 'Ramadan Challenge' exceeded an original fundraising goal of AED2 million, raising more than AED2.8 million during the Holy Month, which will provide preventative medication for 1.4 million people at risk of river blindness.
The month-long Ramadan campaign reflected the Holy Month’s spirit of giving and was designed to allow the community to partake in charity while navigating social restrictions and safety measures in place to combat COVID-19. Conducted primarily on social media, the campaign focused on education and advocacy, while encouraging the local community to donate online or via text message and to show their support on social media. Emirates Red Crescent, strategic partner for the Reach Campaign, collected donations totaling over AED2.5 million across their platforms, including donation kiosks, the ERC website, and SMS donations. The addition of both TikTok and Abu Dhabi Media as official Reach Campaign media partners also helped raise awareness as well as funds.
The partnership with short-form video platform TikTok allowed the campaign to reach a new, larger demographic and offered a creative way for users to donate to the campaign by creating video content. TikTok created special interactive "Reach Campaign stickers" and donated US$ 2 for each video tagged with #reachtheend during Ramadan, ultimately raising over AED275,000. The Ramadan campaign was further bolstered by social media personalities and regional celebrities, including coverage on Abu Dhabi Media’s tv, radio, print, and social platforms.
Commenting on TikTok joining The Reach Campaign as a media partner, a spokesperson for the video platform said, "We are very proud to have partnered with The Reach Campaign in their fight against river blindness during the Holy Month of Ramadan. The response from TikTok content creators in the region has been overwhelmingly positive and the hashtag #ReachTheEnd received a whopping 309.7 million views to date. As the leading short-form video platform, we are always looking for different ways to support communities around the region and help great causes such as The Reach Campaign."
Support also included founding partners Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, Etihad Airlines, and Lulu Group; and supporting partners ADMM/Yas Marina Circuit, Aldar Properties PJSC, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, Flash Entertainment and Miral.
Commenting on the Reach Ramadan Challenge, Nassar Abdul Raouf Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the Reach Campaign said, "We are humbled by the support of our community and partners, and thank them for joining the initiative to reach the end of river blindness. The results exceeded our expectations, especially during this difficult and uncertain time. COVID-19 has highlighted the need to re-emphasise our commitment to health, and it was inspiring to witness the community come together in creative and inventive ways to support the cause. We look forward to continuing The Reach Campaign and helping millions of the world’s most vulnerable people live healthier, more productive lives."
The Reach Campaign, a first-of-its-kind fundraising initiative to end the Neglected Tropical Disease, NTD, river blindness, launched earlier this year in the UAE. In partnership with forward-thinking individuals, brands and corporations, The Reach Campaign takes an innovative approach to raising money to end the disease, while also educating the public about river blindness through strategic, targeted advocacy efforts.
