ABOUT

Background
Between 2015 and 2016, the Zika virus has spread rapidly around the world. In Brazil, more than 3,600 pregnant women were infected, with more than 1,400 cases of baby microcephaly and other neurological disorders being confirmed. Most of them, in the Northeast region. Knowing that they are mothers of babies with microcephaly, whether by examination of the nuchal translucency or by the morphological ultrasound of the fetus, many of them are even abandoned by their husbands, boyfriends or companions, making this woman's life journey something more terrible and painful than it could ever be.

Describe the cultural/social/political climate
When we turn to the problem we discover that:
1 - a large public health protection network was created to take care of babies. Since January 2016, the public health network has more than quintupled its specific care programs for these cases;
2 - As the network of protection for babies grew and quickly became a reference, mothers became increasingly isolated in their mission to take care of children, and society and even the mothers started to forget about themselves.
Through the creation of a new business for the client, we decided to give a new future to mothers of babies with microcephaly.

Describe the strategy
Mothers of babies with microcephaly have to dedicate themselves day and night to caring for their children. But, in the other hand, the alternative of a better and more dignified future is through education and qualification. Because of that, Uninassau Social created the "Productive Mothers" project, offering distance learning scholarships so that they could study for free. There are several options for baccalaureate, undergraduate and technological courses like:
Analysis and systems development; Quality management; Human resource Management; Financial management; Logistics; Marketing; Management processes; Management; Accounting Sciences; Nutrition; Civil Engineering; Production engineering; Electrical engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Pedagogy; Letters

Execution
The idea is to empower these women so they do not give up on their dream, their lives and their careers; even though they have all the emotional and physical burden of caring for a child with microcephaly. We initially implemented the project in the Northeast region of Brazil, the most affected with Zica and cases of microcephaly. But today, all UniNassau educational units across the country - more than 20 universities and colleges - are already participating in the project, helping to re-qualify and reposition these mothers in society so they are as active and productive as they deserve to be.

Results/impact
Starting in the first semester of 2017, more than five hundred scholarships for undergraduate, graduate courses and technologists have already been distributed throughout the country, representing more than a third of the detected universe of mothers of babies with microcephaly. The idea is that as of the second half of this year, more women can enroll and receive scholarships, so that they continue their training and their possibility of ascension through education.

New York Times
“Zika Virus, a Global Health Emergency.”

Estadão
“A project offers free higher education to mothers of babies with rare diseases.”

The Guardian
“It will give all these mothers hope.”

Globo
“Mothers with microcephalic babies will have the right to free higher education.”

Agency: Agência Um
CEO: Luiz Augusto Filho
Creative Director: Lenilson Lima
Creative Consultant: Daniel da Hora
Art Director: Eugênio Lima
Copywriter: Marcus Seixas
Account: Mateus Zerbone
Planner: Cida Araújo
Media: Deyse Coelho
Executive Producer: Tássia Martins
Producer: Mayra Alves
CMO: Jânyo Diniz