She was created using the faces of 500 children around the world
According to UNICEF, there are 250 million children currently living in countries affected by conflict around the world. More than 19 million of them are refugees, while others struggle in countries plagued by war, man-made disasters and climate-change events. To bring attention to their struggles, UNICEF has given these children a voice by creating a 3-D animated seven-year-old girl named “Sofia.”
Sofia was created using 500 photos of actual children currently living in conflict and brought to life by animators who have worked on films such as Planet of the Apes, Avatar, and Tintin. She was named Sofia because it was the most popular baby name worldwide in 2015. In the video, Sofia represents three different children. One has just escaped gunmen, another is cold on a boat, and the final child longs to continue her disrupted education.
The campaign’s goal is to spread awareness of the struggles faced by children who live in conflict and to inspire others to contribute to UNICF as “world parents.” “We have created Sofia to give a face to all the children that aren’t visible to us,” Per Westberg, deputy executive director of UNICEF Sweden, said in a statement. “Sofia is a symbol for all the orphan children, all the children that have been forced to leave their homes due to conflicts, who have stopped growing because of lack of nutrition and who dream of going to school.”
Learn more about how UNICEF is helping children living through conflict, disasters, and climate-change events.
Share on Facebook
