With Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine being fought throughout the winter, the continued conflict in Syria and the growing devastation from natural disasters, UNICEF has used its holiday campaign this year to remind the public of the needs of children and how the smallest gift of help can change a life.

The organization works in more than 190 countries and territories, aiming to save children’s lives, defend their rights and help them fulfill their potential.

Released by UNICEF Finland and created by SEK, “Gifts of Tomorrow” is an effort to make viewers more aware of global issues and how they impact children, and what a hopeful future could look like.

Running at one minute and 25 seconds, the film begins with a family celebrating Christmas. A boy receives a toy bear as a gift just before an explosion is heard right outside their living room window. The boy escapes with his parents, dropping his bear in the chaos, and the family huddles together in a bomb shelter. We’re given a view of the carnage on the street as the boy and his mother board a bus to leave the country. Later, the boy sits alone in a refugee camp, and a UNICEF worker gives him another toy bear.

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A time jump reveals that the boy has grown up to become a doctor and that he still has the bear. He pays it forward by giving it to another child.

The video ends with the line “Gifts of tomorrow are given today.”

A kinder future starts today

SEK’s creative director Heli Roiha explained: “We wanted to tell the story through the eyes of a child, through a child’s experience. And to tell that even the smallest bit of help can have a huge impact on a child’s future.”

Starting Monday, funds collected through the campaign will be used for UNICEF’s work where it feels the needs are the greatest.