Have you seen Vicks’ latest #TouchOfCare video?
If you haven’t, it’s a 4-minute video which tells the story of a child who was born with HIV infection. When his mom died from the disease, the 4-month old was handed by his immediate family to Agnes, his mom’s friend. Captured in the story is how Agnes later on found out about the child’s condition, and instead of turning away from the unexpectedly difficultsituation, she committed to raise him and showered him with love and care. It was the start of a beautiful life transformation for the two; revealing how Agnes fought for child’s life against all ridicule and discrimination from the people around them. Today, with Agnes’ unfaltering love and care, the child is 4 years old and his HIV infection lays dormant in his body.
You can also watch the video here:
For me, this video shows a living proof that we can have the power to love even those who are marked as unlovables if we choose to. And when we become generous enough to extend our “touch of care” to those who really need it, our society will be a much better place to live in even for the unfortunate ones. We can transform lives and be better persons at the same time. I haven’t encountered a person infected with HIV yet but I know there’s a widespread stigma about living or being touched by them. Because most of us lack knowledge about this disease, it’s easy to become judgemental.
Why did Vicks shared this story?
Vicks believes that sharing Agnes’ story will create a ripple effect that inspires people to look past the current beliefs, social norms, definitions, and stereotypes placed on people, and ultimately creates a transformative power of care. The brand also wants to create societal awareness for children born with HIV in order to change society’s beliefs and perspectives towards them. Vicks is committed to amplifying inspiring stories that show the transformation of human lives when people give a touch of care.
“While brands have the power to lead conversations and influence culture, it is ordinary people in their everyday lives who actually inspire these brands to reflect relevant realities in our advertising. This extraordinary ability of a person to transcend every imaginable boundary to feel and care for another life, another human being, continues to be the inspiration for Vicks’ “Touch of Care” campaign across multiple geographies. To celebrate the lives, amplify the stories and support our everyday heroines and heroes is a privilege for our brand.”
– Ajay Vikram, Publicis Singapore Chief Creative Officer, Global Clients
Vicks has partnered with Project Red Ribbon (a partner of Department of Health – National AIDS/STI Prevention and Control Program and is associated with the World Health Organization and UNAIDS). This partnership aims to give the same love and care seen in the film to the children under the “Duyan Project”. “Duyan”, a Filipino noun which means “cradle”, aims to provide care and support to children with HIV in the Philippines. Through the said program, they will be given care, love and attention, to improve their quality of life until they are once again healthy and can go back to school.
Yes, children with HIV has a chance to get better and live normal lives. In the first place, it’s not their fault that they carry the disease. However, people always fear things that they do not understand. And so the first step for us to be able to give these children a chance is to take some time to learn about HIV.
To know more about HIV, Project Red Ribbon, and the “Duyan Program” visit https://www.hivphilippines.com/duyan-program
https://www.hivphilippines.com/definitions
http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/philippines
https://www.doh.gov.ph/aids-hiv
Let’s spread this #TouchOfCare video and give the children infected with HIV a chance to be understood and be loved.
