Our international storytelling journey began at VSO more than 20 years ago. Over the years we have undertaken more than 40 visits to developing countries and worked in numerous settings, from schools to farms, garment factories to cotton fields, isolated rural communities to some of the largest urban settlements in the world.
We have particular expertise in global health. We have filmed in numerous medical settings, from some of the largest and most under-resourced hospitals in Africa to tiny rural clinics operating with just one health worker and no electricity. We have worked in medical settings in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia.
The MS International Federation is a global network of MS organisations with members in 47 countries. When they decided to invest in story gathering activity for the first time, they called on us to plan and deliver the shoots. In 2022 and 2023 we supported MSIF and its partners through the process of identifying storytellers and planning two shoots. We then delivered 12 packages of content for use in campaigns around access to treatment.
Head of Communications, Campaigns and Advocacy, Abdelfatah Ibrahim, describes the experience of working with us:
“We worked with Mile 91 to collect stories of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis as well as Healthcare professionals in Morocco and Malaysia. Our experience working with them was very positive. Catherine and Ben were exceptionally supportive and accommodating and despite the complexity of our project they made the process appear effortless. They understood the brief very well and took the extra mile to understand our organisation’s work which was reflected in the high-quality content they produced.
Mile 91 produced authentic and powerful films, written stories, and pictures of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis. What I like most about the content is that it showed how MS can affect people differently, and effectively communicates complex healthcare challenges in a clear and engaging way. The range of images produced was amazing too. The content will help bring our work on access to healthcare and treatment to life and show the need and value of our work to improve access to MS healthcare globally.”
