Think the Earth

In town, an older woman is trying to walk up the stairs with heavy bags of groceries in her hand. If you happen to come across her, would you give her a hand?

Diakonie is a Christian social welfare organization in Germany that operates numerous social welfare facilities such as care homes for older people or people with disabilities, hospitals and day-care centers. This February, its Frankfurt branch launched the "Help the Oma" campaign to recruit volunteers who can provide assistance and counsel to older people, people with disabilities, and sick patients.

Three old ladies in their 80s, Klara, Maria, and Charlotte, walked through the city-center of Frankfurt and pretended to need help going up stairs, crossing the street, or using a ticketing machine. They would then pass out flyers to recruit volunteer staff to people who took the time to help them. The campaign video looks like a clip from the show, Candid Camera, but it's really heartwarming to watch people giving the old ladies a helping hand. The means used in to promote the cause in the campaign is drawing much attention. It won a bronze award (in the Content & Contact category) at the Clio Awards, a globally renowned advertising award, held in New York on May 27th.

In Germany, it is not uncommon to see people helping each other around town. A spirit of mutual help seems to be rooted deeply in the German society. For example, someone will without fail offer help when you try to get on the train with a stroller, or a child will open the door for an older person who is walking into the store.

When it comes to care for older adults and children, discussions tend to focus on institutions and facilities. These are also important aspects, but if we try to help each other day to day, these small acts of kindness may bring about big change in society.