To mark World Refugee Day tomorrow, MEO, in partnership with Chef Chakall, is launching the documentary 'Food Unites: A Journey of Solidarity'. In four episodes, the documentary follows the MEO ambassador's entire journey from Portugal to the Polish-Ukrainian border, at the start of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022.
The story is told through the chef's vision and the images captured: "What first led me on this trip was a feeling of enormous helplessness. What we were hearing on the news was unbelievable... I couldn't stand by and do nothing," explains Chakall.
The documentary 'Food Unites: A Journey of Solidarity' can be viewed on the MEO Causes APP from this Tuesday, June 20. Using its media space, channels and apps, MEO aims to raise awareness of the situation in Ukraine, showing that small attitudes can mean a lot, mobilizing the population to fight against indifference. And this new documentary continues the movement started in 2018, which aims to contribute to "humanizing" society and positioning MEO as a brand for causes.
It should be remembered that, right at the start of the war, the brand developed a fundraising campaign for Ukraine in partnership with Amnesty International. The release of the documentary starring chef Chakall now comes as a way of continuing the concern shown from the outset by MEO, which through the 'Breaking Sirens' spot made the Portuguese aware of the reality of a people who had seen their country attacked.
On March 7, 2022, chef Chakall left Lisbon with Poland as his destination and the goal of helping Ukrainians seeking refuge from the war. After two and a half days of travel and 3,600 kilometers, the stop that started the mission was Warsaw, where, with the help of Polish firefighters, Chakall cooked meals for a group of refugees who were going to Lourinhã.
When he arrived in Chelm, about 25 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, he joined the team from the local church, which was receiving about 400 refugees a day in those days. In two days, Chakall and the local people cooked more than 10,000 meals, which were then taken to the Ukrainian border area, near the town of Berdyszcze.
"I like traveling, it's one of my passions in life, but this one was very different from the start: it had a purpose. Bringing a plate of hot food to people who have lost everything isn't really something extraordinary: it's food. Period. I just did what I know," he says.
On his return, Chakall wanted to do even more by helping a family get to Portugal. After being contacted by a Ukrainian woman who has lived in Portugal for more than 10 years, Chakall helped Yulia, who was bringing her daughter, a niece and a dog with her, get to Lisbon safely.
"We need to keep bringing the issue into our daily lives so that we don't run the risk of becoming indifferent, as I fear is already happening. At the end of the day, we have to be grateful for the life we have, but at the same time we have to be more empathetic to those around us. The truth is that nothing is written in stone and life can change from one day to the next for anyone... And you have to turn your tears into something that can help someone else, if only for a brief moment," he says.
MEO is thus reinforcing its position as a brand with causes, joining the public debate and making a clear commitment to society. There are several causes that MEO has already embraced - combating domestic violence, environmental conservation, the fight against plastic in the oceans, social inclusion and respect for differences.