Posted on April 17th, 2021 - 05:00 GMT. Retrieved from www.albawaba.com.
This Ramadan, Facebook is marking the holy month with a global campaign across its family of apps. The #MonthofGood campaign, which brings together Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, aims to celebrate charity, collaboration and community.
Despite the social distancing resulting from the pandemic, Ramadan remains a time for charity and celebration. Globally, in 2020 people raised twice as much as in 2019 through Ramadan-related fundraisers across Facebook and Instagram. “We saw our users rally behind multiple causes, raising over $5 billion for nonprofits and personal causes through fundraisers on Facebook and Instagram,” Ramez Shehadi, Managing Director at Facebook MENA, told Arab News.
Instagram initially developed its Ideas of Good campaign, now in its third year, as a result of a key insight, said Shehadi, which was that “Ramadan is the kindest time of the year on the platform.”
“In 2019, we saw people post about not only charitable activities, but also finding time to reflect as well as bond with their families,” he said. There were more than 16 million uses of the word Ramadan and references to Ramadan hit 4 million in the 30 days leading up to the holy month. There was a 40 percent growth in the use of the word “kindness” on Instagram across the world in the 30 days leading up to the holy month.
“Last year was drastically different – we saw Muslims around the world spend their first Ramadan in lockdown and it was a unique experience to observe a season known for its strong sense of togetherness and collaboration, in isolation,” he said. However, the Muslim community found new ways of gathering, donating and celebrating virtually, which inspired the initial Instagram campaign.
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Turkey, more than 6.5 million people joined the Ramadan-related groups created in 2020. For instance, “LyedFeLyed اليد في اليد ” is a group created last year that aims to connect families in need with donors and associations. “As of May last year, it had already helped 700 families, within days of opening the group,” said Shehadi. Other groups that arose during the pandemic are “Stop and Help”, founded by Heather Harries, her husband and two sons from the UAE, which aims to lift community spirits during the pandemic by offering support to families in need of basic essentials and “UAE Fusion Socialites,” which is founded by Sharjah-based Pakistani mother, Ayesha Sohail, who uses her social media skills to help low-income families.
This year, Facebook has extended the campaign across all its platforms as the #MonthofGood because it’s a “no-brainer,” according to Shehadi. “As a collective for four apps, we have the opportunity to amplify this effect, providing more platforms and more tools for organisations and individuals to explore, express and inspire good.”
Facebook will be running various activations across the globe in locations including India, US, UK, Nigeria and MENA focusing on the pillars of kindness, community and charity.
These include:
“Ideas of Good,” a list of 30 kind deeds and do-good moments to act on virtually.
“Guide to Ramadan” by Canadian creator Sarah Sabry, in collaboration with her Muslim followers.
A pay-it-forward chain globally, which will be kicked off by creators such as Haifa Beseisso, Nabih Alkayali, Raha Moharrak, Logina Salah, and Adel Aladwani in the MENA region.
Live Suhoor Talks, a global series hosted by Muslim creators across the UK, Asia and MENA, featuring weekly conversations about topics ranging from food and fasting to mental health and wellbeing.
Facebook Watch and IGTV series with creators such as Khalid Al-Ameri and Manal Al-Alem and networks MBC, TVision, and Zee Entertainment.
A MENA-specific collaboration with Jordan-based Arabic podcast network Sowt spotlighting inspiring community leaders from the regional diaspora to talk about how they use Facebook Apps for virtual acts of kindness during Ramadan.
Spotlighting zakat-eligible nonprofits such as Rahma Worldwide, UNHCR, Heroic Hearts, Molham Volunteering Team and Zakat Foundation of America with active Ramadan fundraisers and campaigns to provide food baskets, supplies and medical aid to orphans, widows and refugees.
Additionally, Facebook will spotlight small and medium businesses (SMBs) that have inspired good this Ramadan. “These are businesses that have gone above and beyond to help people around them and their communities, with their acts of charity and kindness,” said Shehadi.
The increased time spent on Facebook’s apps during the holy month also presents a significant opportunity for advertisers. “Ramadan is one of the biggest and longest global festive moments. Given the current circumstances we are in, people need positivity during the holy month and therefore feel-good themes always work at Ramadan if you do it right.”
“It’s also powerful if you can connect people to a real-life opportunity to do good,” he said. For instance, in 2018, Facebook partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the creative agency Leo Burnett Beirut to boost blood donations during Ramadan in a campaign called “Giving is in your blood,” which reached more than 28 million people across the Middle East and increased blood donations by 36 percent on average.
“We see a lot of brands engage with consumers in a personalised and relevant way during Ramadan too,” he added. For instance, Nestlé MENA developed a bilingual, informative bot for Messenger, in partnership with Facebook’s Creative Shop, that raised awareness of the content and services provided by its brands during Ramadan and helped Nestlé to gain insights about its consumers’ eating habits and preferences.
