CASE STUDY: Care International tackles women's abuse in Sri Lanka

Background

Women's abuse in Sri Lanka is rampant and campaigns fighting the cause are increasingly falling on deaf ears. 

Aim

The Holy Month of Vesak celebrates the birth, death and enlightenment of Lord Buddha. It is also the Festival of Lights when millions gather at Colombo's Vesak Zone to learn about ancient Buddhust teachings through pandols, a 200 year-old medium of storytelling. JWT Colombo set out to shed light on women's abuse through one of these wooden structures the size of several billboards put together.

Execution

JWT Colomdo created a one-of-a-kind pandol carrying an illustrated storyboard lit by more than 7,500 lightbulbs to help depict the different types of abuse suffered by women in schools, buses, streets, offices and at home. The underlying message was 'equality for all' preached by the Lord Buddha himself. 

Results

The pandol attracted an audience of more than 1 million Sri Lankans.