Better Time Stories: Brighten up the Lives of Ukrainian Refugee Children

Boomerang, part of Publicis, has crafted a new campaign for Better Time Stories, with an accompanying film shot in Ukraine, capturing the struggle of broken families affected by the war. A quarter of Ukraine's child population has fled the country, leaving everything behind, including family members. Better Time Stories wants to offer support to these children by reconnecting them with family members and welcoming them to the new host country through the power of books. Five bilingual children's books were created for this purpose, which can be read aloud, remotely by a family member left behind via an app (tap & play), while also learning the new language of the host country. Better Time Stories hopes that connected storytelling will bring back some joy into the lives of refugee children. A donation campaign began on September 29th to help as many families as possible receive the books and accompanying recordings. Present at the launch in The Hague was Dutch Princess Laurentien, while Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, and German First Lady Elke Büdenbender joined via video link. Boomerang worked on the initiative with social innovation organisation, Number 5 Foundation and digital children’s books publisher, iKs Book. The campaign includes a film that was shot in Ukraine, directed by Ukrainian film director, Anna Kopylova. The books are presented in dual languages: Ukrainian and the language of the country the child is seeking refuge in, to help develop new language and listening skills.