A cinematic anthem by HUMAN™ for Pencils of Promise, I PROMISE YOU is a powerful call to invest in education as a shared promise—uplifting children, families, and communities through dignity, partnership, and possibility.
I PROMISE YOU is a global education anthem created by HUMAN™ in partnership with Pencils of Promise. Filmed in Ghana and Guatemala, the film tells the story of how access to safe, inclusive education—supported by water, hygiene, and menstrual equity programs—transforms lives and futures. Blending poetic narration, vérité footage, and real-world impact, it is a rallying call to invest in the world’s children, not as charity—but as co-creators of a more just and joyful future.
A Case Study on the Global Education Campaign by HUMAN™ and Pencils of Promise
In partnership with Pencils of Promise, HUMAN™ created I PROMISE YOU—a sweeping, emotionally resonant film that reimagines what it means to invest in a child's future. Shot across Ghana and Guatemala, the film amplifies the urgent yet universal dream: that every child, everywhere, deserves the right to learn, to be safe, and to fly.
Built around the idea that education is freedom, I PROMISE YOU weaves the voices of students, teachers, parents, and global supporters into a singular promise: that dignity, opportunity, and knowledge should never be denied by circumstance. More than a film, it’s a movement—one rooted in partnership, resilience, and collective action.
Global audiences are saturated with messaging around poverty and education—often told from a distance, often stripped of dignity. The challenge here was to reject pity-driven storytelling and instead build an emotionally powerful campaign grounded in shared humanity and community partnership.
Pencils of Promise doesn’t “give” schools to communities—they build with them. HUMAN™ needed to tell that story, honoring both the scale of the need and the beauty of grassroots ownership.
HUMAN™ built the campaign around a poetic structure: Education is not a building—it’s a dream with a foundation.
Shifted the Narrative
Viewers and stakeholders praised the film for breaking from the traditional “savior” frame—centering mutual commitment and cultural strength.
Mobilized Donor Engagement
Used successfully in fundraising events, the film contributed to renewed commitments and new donor acquisition.
Built Organizational Pride
Staff across regions cited the film as a defining representation of their mission—grounded in real, daily work and global possibility.
I PROMISE YOU became a cinematic cornerstone of Pencils of Promise’s global advocacy, reminding the world that education is more than a right—it’s a promise we make to each other. By capturing the full arc from scarcity to strength, the film helped position PoP not just as a builder of schools, but as a cultivator of dreams.