The Hot Tea Stain

Pakistan is one of the top 10 tea-drinking countries in the world, and the hot beverage is a frequent and integral part of everyday culture. Shockingly, 80% of burns on Pakistani children are caused by something very everyday: the spillage of hot tea. Relatives however, are usually completely casual with hot tea around children, which often results in major injuries and sometimes death. Most of the affected children are below the age of 10, for whom a split second of negligence results in lifelong impact, or even in some cases death. In Pakistan, every third household has a burn victim, and almost all burns cases are avoidable. What’s shocking is that there is more conversation around tea staining clothes, than around the perils of the tea burning children. A lot of detergents in the country show tough to remove tea stains in their ads. Playing on this insight, we used the words “tea stain” synonymous to the scar a hot tea spill leaves on a child’s skin. We released a shocking film featuring real burn victims. The film, which begins by asking children “Who burnt you?” receives responses such as “My mom did,” and ends with a message saying “This tea stain never goes away.” The film then directs viewers to a website which educates on safety measures as well as instructions on post-incident treatment. The campaign helped bring the incidents of child burns down by 50 percent. Moreover, 100 reconstructive surgeries have been performed using the funds collected for the cause.