There are over a million blue-collar workers in UAE, building the dreams of the country and its people. Brick by brick, nail by nail, they are also working towards their own dreams of giving their children a better education and hence, a better life. But we discovered that even though some workers hammer in over 200,000 nails a month, their salaries (as low as 200-300 USD) might never be enough for that dream.
SmartLife Foundation an NGO for UAE’s blue-collar workers wanted to help build their dreams. So, we decided to use the same nails the workers hammer daily, to involve people of UAE in building those dreams.
We installed a canvas wall on a prominent street, during the Dubai Shopping Festival. We then invited people to buy a nail for a minimum of 10 AED and hammer it onto our designated markers on the wall. In an interactive manner, we gave them the chance to feel a fraction of the workers’ efforts and give back one nail at a time. As the wall was completed, the dream came to life, with all the nails forming the image of a child being gifted a graduation hat.
For an absolute 0$ cost, our interactive outdoor - The SAPNA Wall - became the first crowd-sourced nail art piece for charity and attracted over 55 different nationalities, popular celebrities and influencers as well as over $400,000 in earned (free) media. And in just 9 days, all 17,793 nails were bought, raising enough money to give 20 blue-collar workers’ children a quality education all the way up to graduation. Which is something their parents had only ever dreamt about.
English Translation of Main Headlines
The word "SAPNA" in Hindi or Urdu languages means "Dream". The "SAPNA" wall was installed as an art piece on The Walk @ JBR in Dubai. It was made of Nails on Canvas on Wood. And when completed, it showcased the dreams of the blue-collar workers being fulfilled, in a live and interactive manner.