UNHCR & MullenLowe Philippines Stop Filipinos Going 'Home' in Aid of the Refugee Crisis

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Philippines and MullenLowe Philippines have launched the UNHome Button - an innovative web browser interruption to make Filipinos more aware of the refugee crisis.

When users click the Home button on participating partner sites, they are redirected to a faux 'error' page, temporarily preventing them from 'going Home.' They are given the option to proceed to the home page, or instead, learn more about the refugee crisis and how they can help, at the UNHCR landing page. 

The current world refugee crisis is the worst in the past quarter century. The UNHCR has been working tirelessly to help the millions of refugees who have been displaced by conflict and persecution. But most Filipinos are literally and figuratively removed from the crisis, being on the other side of the world.

The initial brief from the UNHCR office in the Philippines was to rework their website and social media plan to drive more leads and donations. But to directly address Filipinos, and make them care about a problem so far removed from them, needed something more than a simple platform overhaul. MullenLowe Philippines approached the UNHCR with an alternative solution: what if a web browser interruption could mimic the experience of not being able to go home, for Filipinos? 

The agency began to partner with local websites and bloggers to transform their home buttons into tools for social change. On clicking ‘Home’ for any of these sites, the ‘error page’ informs users that for 60 million refugees around the world, Home isn’t just a click away, and gives the option to learn more and get involved.

The first UNHome buttons went live 28 April 2016, with partners such as Cebu Pacific Air. UNHCR and MullenLowe Philippines continue to build with new partner sites.