Make the refugee story uniquely personal by allowing users to experience a refugee’s journey of survival through their own phone. Using the familiar functions of the phone – picture gallery, messages, phone calls and videos – the app creates an entirely new OS within your phone.

Working alongside the UNHCR, we interviewed a series of refugees and constructed a storyline made from real-life events. The ‘Finding Home’ app puts you into the shoes of 16-year old Rohingya Kathijah as she is forced to flee her home. The complex and nuanced refugee story of searching for shelter, unscrupulous adults, supportive communities, and the plight of a person with no legal status unfolds in your hands. Now you have to make the decisions needed to survive.

The storyline of Kathijah was built from a series of interviews and testimonies,then translated into the language of a smartphone interface:

MESSAGES - All conversations were drafted as complex intertwining dialogue trees, creating different outcomes dependant on the users’ response.

IMAGES - Via UNHCR two Rohingya refugees were cast as the main characters – Kathijah and Ishak.

VIDEO – Bespoke films were shot, inspired by the true events.

It took almost 5 months to conceptualise, plan, execute and launch the project. 'Finding Home' was launched on 25 April at UNHCR HQ, Kuala Lumpur with local and international press present.

UNHCR recognised the app as an educational tool, appealing especially to teens. As a result ‘Finding Home’ is now a part of their school visits throughout Malaysia.

In late May, the UNHCR plans to publish the app via their global platform – reaching all 128 countries where they are present.

In the first week of Launch:

- Downloaded in 23 Countries

- 130+ pieces of International coverage amounting to USD1,135,000 worth of PR value

Used by UNHCR Malaysia as educational tool for Schools.

Placed on UNHCR Global digital platform – accessing 128 countries.

Presented to UNHCR Global Digital Council for innovative fundraising.s

Use the personal experience of your phone’s OS to immerse yourself in the refugee story.

1. When people don’t want to hear about refugees, make it look like something else

This could not look like yet another charity appeal. The real refugee story is full of life and death situations - genuine drama. Finding Home had to feel unmissable.

2. Combat the critics with a dose of reality

The refugee subject is divisive with misconceptions surrounding the situation. We ensured the story is real, using facts from interviews with Rohingya refugees and testimonies from UNHCR workers dealing with refugee issues daily.

3. Engage new audiences to start caring

If ‘Finding Home’ was experienced by those already interested in the refugee situation, we have failed. The mobile app platform has no geographical limits. We are using a completely new engagement technique to reach a new set of audiences globally.

To be violently torn from your home, thrown into an unknown environment with no rights, almost nothing to your name, is unimaginable. Yet, in Malaysia alone, the number of refugees registered to the UNHCR is currently 150,430, of which approximately 58,000 are Rohingya, 36,000 under the age of 18. The Malaysian Government refuses to recognise the status of refugees – from a legal perspective, they do not exist.

Years of media reports have desensitised people to the crisis, yet public support is crucial to the lobbying efforts of the UNHCR.

Our task was to re-engage people with the complex human story of refugees, creating genuine empathy to galvanise understanding and action.

Objective 1:

Generate sympathy and understanding of the refugee situation in Malaysia

Objective 2:

Create an effective donation/volunteer tool that can help sustain UNHCR