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OSLO, Norway — What would you do if you saw a freezing child? Would you stand by or would you try to help?
That’s the question posed in a video crafted by a children’s charity in Norway.
Hidden cameras watch as 11-year-old Johannes sits on a bench at a bus stop on a snowy day in Oslo. The boy is very much alone and wears no jacket, hat or gloves.
One by one, strangers enter the frame. Some stare at Johannes, while others approach him and try to talk.
Johannes — who is really an actor — tells his fellow commuters that he got separated from his class on a school field trip and that his coat had been stolen.
As the video rolls along, magic begins to happen. One by one, passers-by begin to remove their coats, hats, scarves and gloves — handing them over to the cold little boy. One concerned woman offers to call his teacher for him. In one scene, several strangers huddle around Johannes to keep him warm and safe.
Cue the waterworks.
“Are you a person who would act when you see someone who needs help?” -SOS Mayday
In the final seconds of the video, a simple question flashes across the screen: “Are you a person who would act when you see someone who needs help?”
The powerful social experiment — titled SOS Mayday — was produced by SOS Children’s Villages, a charity that aims to raise awareness about the crisis in Syria and collects funds for the children of the war-torn country. The group gathers donations to provide winter jackets, food and blankets to kids and families in Damascus and Aleppo.
“Many live each day in fear, uncertain what the next day will bring,” the organization’s website reads. “The conditions that many children and their families live in is almost unbearable. Many have lost everything they own and struggle to put a roof over their heads.”
The video garnered 3 million views just 24 hours after being posted to YouTube last week. It’s been watched more than 12.7 million times to date.
And it appears the message of the project found its way into many hearts — SOS Mayday has brought in more than $430,000 in text donations in just over a week.
To donate to SOS Mayday, click here. Jessica Ivins is a content manager for KSL.com and contributor to the Motherhood Matters section.
*KSL.com
