Between 2012–2013, cities in north-eastern Brazil faced the worst drought in 30 years. The amount of rain was 10 times less than the historic annual average. Out of 184 municipalities in the state of Ceará, 174 declared a state of emergency due to lack of rain. One of these cities was Milhã: the reservoir dried up and its 14,000 residents were in a state of disaster, without water for drinking and other necessities.

Their Goal

Strength in unity

The objective of the “Vida na Seca” (Life in the Drought) campaign was to sell T-shirts through a Facebook Page to raise money to buy water and food for drought victims in the city of Milhã.

My Page is an example of how Facebook can provide results for social causes. Today, we have over 800,000 people connected to our Page and I think this is a result of some serious work done with the aim of helping our fellow human beings.

Rafael Studart, creator, Vida na Seca campaign

Their Solution

Sharing goes a long way

To raise funds for the Vida na Seca campaign, publicist Rafael Studart created a Facebook Page in December 2012 to publicize and sell T-shirts. His photo posts showed the T-shirts and gave information about where they could be purchased: on the Page, by email, through a website and at a sister shop in Fortaleza.

Studart also asked for help from Facebook Pages that promoted social action and sustainability, such as Nação Nordestina (Northeastern Nation) and Salve o Planeta (Save the Planet).

Using Page posts and messages, Studart and 10 volunteers answered questions and made sales. Payment was made by bank deposit and T-shirts were sent out after proof of payment was received. Orders outside of Fortaleza were sent by post, while local deliveries were made by motorbike: the delivery person even made his Facebook profile available so that people could reach him to arrange a date and time for delivery.

To encourage people to share the campaign, Studart also posted photos and videos showing the disastrous conditions in the city.

Products used

Goals

Drive Online Sales

Their Success

Food and water for drought victims

The Vida na Seca campaign exceeded expectations. The first batch of 300 T-shirts sold out in just 10 days and encouraged by this great return, Studart ordered another 200 pieces.

With the money raised, it was possible to buy 2 tons of food and 16,000 liters of water. Approximately 220 people benefited from a kit containing 10 kg of rice, 3 packets of noodles, coffee, and biscuits, 3 liters of oil, 5 kg of manioc flour and 5 kg of sugar.

The campaign resulted in: