38 interviewees. 38+ degrees. One BIG story of transformation.

We were on the road (well, in the air…) again earlier this year to film nonprofit BMS World Mission’s Harvest Appeal – their biggest annual fundraising campaign. This year, the focus was on the Church and Community Mobilisation Process (CCMP) in Sierra Leone. Had we ever been to Sierra Leone? No. Would we go again? 100%.

So, what is CCMP? Great question. It’s definitely more exciting than its acronym suggests. It’s an empowering, potentially poverty-ending tool that’s changing lives in communities across Sierra Leone. You can find out all about it in the video!

In just six days, we did a massive 38 interviews in eight communities across the country – and the amazing thing was, every single interview was golden. Every person we talked to had managed to improve their own life through CCMP. Even the people delivering the training. Whether it was being able to afford lunch for their grandkids, or starting a business and becoming so successful they were now training others, the message was clear. This project is locally led, sustainable and actually working.

On our return to the UK we were both exhausted and excited to get going with the edit. With all that content, it was going to be a challenge! But we were confident we could create some great resources to share the story of this work and encourage people in the UK to get behind it.

Ruth standing outside the house she has built in Sierra Leone
Ruth's mum harvesting crops in Sierra Leone
Two friends laugh together in Sierra Leone
Ruth looking out of he pharmacy in Sierra Leone
A young woman sewing in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Church members talking together outside their church in Bo, Sierra Leone
Front cover of BMS World Mission's magazine, Engage, featuring two young women from Sierra Leone laughing, and the words Change Agents
The first page of the Change Agents article from BMS World Mission's magazine, featuring three smiling Sierra Leonean women smiling at the camera

What we made:

  • Main Harvest appeal video for churches and individuals, Change Agents of Sierra Leone (you can watch it at the top of this blog)
  • Video for the Baptist Assembly, an annual event for Baptist leaders in England. This video focused on one community, and the impact CCMP can have, to encourage pastors to give it a go in their own churches
  • Photo library, containing hundreds of portrait, contextual and action shots of all the people we interviewed
  • Feature article for BMS’ flagship magazine, focusing on three women from one community to share the heart of CCMP and its impact
  • Direct mail appeal sent to BMS’ supporters to encourage them to give
The Stone Barrell team with BMS' Head of Communications Grete and the BMS-supported CCMP team, tired but happy after a successful week of filming in Sierra Leone

How it went:

The stats for funds raised aren’t in yet, but we’ve had some lovely feedback from the BMS team!

“Thank you so much for all your work on this - it's brilliant. It's a really inspiring film, visually stunning and actually makes CCMP compelling!” – Helen Harris, BMS Director of Communications and Fundraising
“Just wanted to say a massive thank you for all your hard work on this. We really have ended up with an inspiring uplifting film… thank you both for an amazing job!” – Rachel Burnet, BMS Head of Fundraising

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Need help creating a multi-platform campaign, or feeling stuck on how to even start sharing your story? Drop us a message, we’d love to chat!