As part of our focus on the Middle East and our attempt to give Arabic users a locally-relevant Internet experience, we were planning to design a special doodle for Orphan's Day in Egypt on April 3rd, a day when everyone gives attention and support to orphans. Then we thought, as it's Orphan's Day, why not get Egyptian orphans involved in deciding how to design the doodle? We decided to put on a micro version of "Doodle 4 Google" competition that we've already done in other countries , including the UK, Ireland and Turkey.
We approached Resala Foundation, a charity organization in Egypt, for their help, and they provided invaluable support on the project. We thought that running an art competition for a group of orphans would be a great way to help develop the skills of the kids while entertaining them and enabling them to illustrate their creativity and innovation. The Resala team recruited talented children from different orphanages around Cairo. We had several great partners. The German University of Cairo, located in New Cairo, offered to host the event and provide all the logistical support. The marketing agency Lead Marketing offered to plan and manage the execution of the event. Additionally, many other organizations donated gifts and prizes so children would walk away with goodies to remember this day by.
On Friday the 20th March, we put on the event. For us at Google, it was a great experience to be able to spend the day with these kids and engage them in the project. After having their photos taken to keep as souvenirs, the participating children spent time drawing their own doodles around the theme of "My Egypt".
We were honored to have Khaled AboulNaga, the Egyptian celebrity and UNICEF Ambassador for Goodwill, attend the event, meet and spend time with the participating kids. Each child went back home with gifts from our generous partners, and photos of the day.
We were really impressed by the quality of the children's drawings, and we were happy to be able to spend Orphan's Day with a talented group of kids.
For more information and voting your favorite doodle before 30th of March please visit:
http://www.google.com/myegypt
Posted by Wael Ghonim (Product & Marketing Manager - Middle East & North Africa)
Marion Gamel (Head of Marketing - Middle East & Africa)
