The town that Tearfund didn't build

The people of Burundi take matters into their own hands in this alternative charity spot, directed by Dawit NM through Friend for international Christian relief and development agency Tearfund. 

Shot in Burundi and casting the town's people actors, the creative opens in the predictable fashion of a charity appeal TVC, with a voiceover explaining to the viewer how donations helped the charity to build this town. 

Breaking the fourth wall, the villagers interrupt the narrator to speak directly to the audience, correcting him that they were, in fact, the ones who built it, evoking the sense of pride and empowerment that the charity's work gives to communities. 

The concept for the campaign was inspired by the organisation’s unique approach to ending poverty, which involves giving communities the skills and tools to build their own infrastructure and change their own lives.