Rusty Radiator Award 2013

Jury's Comments :  I'm not often without words. But, maybe words aren’t that important. Words alone don’t change the future. Actions change the future. In this video, Plan Norway has chosen to involve Stian Blipp to raise money in a rather bizarre ad reminiscent of 1980s charity fundraising. Promising a simplistic solution to the problem they are presenting, without giving any real information about the process regarding the project. It may seem harmless to show another white male celebrity cradling a poor black Zambian child and begging for donations, but stereotypes harm. I'm going to be honest.

Jury's Comments : In this video, children cannot speak for themselves because they are “too poor for words.” This claim is beyond offensive; the video presents the Western donor as the saviour. In addition, the video gives you the impression that just 92 cents a day will save the life of the child you sponsor. When only addressing poverty, structural inequalities, lack of proper health systems and other issues become so simple! 

Jury's Comments : This video is using the same classic theme that organizations have been using for a long time; children appear as suffering victims waiting to be “rescued” by donations. The approach is surprisingly coming from UNICEF USA; which claims to promote children’s involvement in issues that affect them. Looks like it’s time for UNICEF USA to revisit child rights principles; what would children and young people have to say about this video?

Jury's Comments : Let me get this straight; buy an energy drink promoted by 50 cent, and solve world poverty. Awesome. While we are at it, should we ship boxes of Red Bull from Europe and the U.S. to Africa? Maybe we could throw in some Toms shoes and Warby Parker glasses. But wait; the video doesn’t tell us how much Street King Energy will donate to help these cute, smiling children who appear in the video, or how the funds will be used. Also, we can’t help but wonder about the corporate practices of Street King Energy; are they making socially responsible investments to make their company grow, or are they investing in corporations like oil companies with poor human rights records? For now, we’ll stick to tap water.