To raise awareness of a donation website that could provide funds to rebuild homes for flood victims, we launched an activation which saw the first town on the planet named after the website itself.

On 25 August 2022, Pakistan declared a state of emergency because of the world's deadliest flood since the 2020 South Asian floods, and the worst in the country's history. It was also recorded as one of the costliest natural disasters in world history.

Over 33 million people were affected, with thousands dead or missing. The Minister of Climate Change stated that a "third" of the country was underwater - overnight a 100km lake had emerged in Sindh province. Officials estimated at least $30 billion of reconstruction costs and economic damage, equivalent to about 10% of GDP.

The Government of Sindh began the rebuilding process, but there always has been a massive funding gap.

In the aftermath of Pakistan’s devastating flooding that destroyed or damaged 2 million homes, the Government of Sindh through SPHF set out to rebuild the lives of flood victims.

Our brief was to raise donations for the rebuilding efforts on a global level to enable the world's largest rehabilitation program. The immediate task was to raise awareness of not only the donation website and the devastating effects of climate change as witnessed by Pakistan, but also of the efforts of SPHF and the Government.

The brief was to produce an activation that would move potential donors (governments, agencies, and individuals) at COP28, and beyond.

How do you make a donation website famous? In order to raise funds to rebuild the lives of those affected by climate change, we did something that has never been done before.

We officially named one rebuilt town after the government's donation website URL: ClimateChangeTown.pk

By default this ensured that anytime anyone searches, mentions or shares the new town name – the donation link is automatically shared as well.

Our strategy to reach potential donors through the website was based on action. We knew that simply asking for donations through a website that speaks about the calamity endured by flood-affected people was not going to be anything novel. So we strategized a way to demonstrate not only the good work being done, but also focus in on WHERE it was being done.

The donation website is the town itself, and the town is the donation website itself. In this loop is the proof point of where the money goes: to help rebuild the homes and lives of millions of people. It is a website that is in living, breathing action, in the form of a functioning town.

We started with a legal process to rename the town to the donation website URL. This was authorized through approvals granted by official Government of Sindh channels and provincial land departments.

Once approved, we then installed official road signs, directing people to climatechangetown.pk. These were put up on main highways, country roads, and at the entrance to the town.

We then got the town name recognized by Google Maps, complete with a hyperlink to the donation website.

All of the activation was covered by a film which was launched at COP 28, marking the first time a functioning town on Planet Earth had been named after a donation website to counter the effects of climate change. Social media and PR further pushed our powerful message to individuals, corporations and aid agencies.

By officially naming the new town ClimateChangeTown.pk, we successfully created a world-first mechanic that simply and effectively spread the donation website to help SPHF in what is now the world's largest rehabilitation program.

Through various donors, we have successfully raised in excess of $200 million since COP28.

The news of the town (and therefore, the website), was shared in more than 50 countries.

Thousands of sustainable future-proof homes have already been built, with a total of 2.1 million homes to be constructed. The funds raised also provide necessary income to flood victims, particularly women who are actively involved in the effort to rebuild their lives. More than 10,000 title deeds have been given to women, while 800,000 constructions are being led by women, a truly remarkable moment in Pakistan.