EDOF Congratulates CNN and the CNN Freedom Project on the Highly Successful MyFreedomDay Initiative

GENEVA, March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

TheEssamandDalalObaidFoundation (EDOF), which has a strategic partnership with CNN to support the CNN Freedom Project and itsMarch 14 MyFreedomDayInitiative, is pleased to congratulate CNN and the Freedom Project Teamona highly successful event. MyFreedomDayinvolved a wide array of activities aimed at calling attention to the continuing problem of modern-day slavery. The activities included students from hundreds of schools on six continents making anti-slavery signs and sharing them on social media; activists, journalists, and NGOs facilitating and broadcasting anti-slavery messages and conversations; and celebrities likeUsainBolt and SimoneBilesposting videos on what freedom means to them.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/470758/EDOF_2017_Logo.jpg )

"To see the massiveglobal scope of the MyFreedomDay'sMarch 14 events is deeply inspiring," said EDOF's CEO, Dr.NawafObaid."We chose to providesupportto CNN for its Freedom Project not only because we believe contemporary human trafficking is a major problem that must be stopped in our lifetime, but because CNN has such an excellent track record of engaging a worldwide audience in its advocacy events. MyFreedomDayfar exceeded our expectations and we could not be happier with the results."

While the MyFreedomDayInitiative was supported by CNN's large TV network, it was on social media and the Internet that the event really flowered. On the day of the event, there were more than 10,000 posts to the MyFreedomDayhashtagin a digital conversation that extended across Twitter,Instagram, Facebook,Snapchat, andYoutube. Over 160 million Facebook timelines were reached with the MyFreedomDaymessage, which doesn't even include non-CNNor privateFacebook accounts. Tweets were posted to thehashtagfrom over 100 countries, and MyFreedomDaytrended on Twitter in Nigeria, the UAE, the Philippines, the UK, and the US. Freedom Project videos were watched more than 5 million timesand the Freedom project stories had 4.3 million page views, with around 400,000 people viewingthe MyFreedomDaySnapchatstory and more than 2,600MyFreedomDaypostsonInstagram.

While most of the above activity came from the hundreds of schools participating in MyFreedomDay, there was also a lot of sharing and messaging from anti-slavery activists, NGOs, journalists, and celebrities. The Global Slavery Index, Stop theTraffik, The Freedom Fund, andnumerous otheranti-slavery NGOs got involved as well.

AsTarekObaid, EDOF Founder & President, points out, "This wrap-up, like MyFreedomDayitself, shows how profoundlycommitted the CNN network is to the Freedom Project'ssuccess and to the positive impact it can bringin the fight against human trafficking.And this is a commitmentEDOF shareswith them.It is totally unacceptable that slavery still exists in our world, yet to see so many young people, activists, andrenownedpublicfigures expressing their resistance to it, one begins to have hope for ending it."

MyFreedomDaywas carried out bythe CNN Freedom Project.The Freedom Project's mission is toamplify the voices of the victims of modern-day slavery, highlight success stories, and help unravel the tangle of criminal enterprises trading in human life.EDOF joined the CNN Freedom Project in order to support this vision, toraise awareness of what credible organizations are doing to end human trafficking, andto increaseglobal awarenessabout the problemamong the business community.

TheEssamandDalalObaidFoundationwasstarted in 2014by the sons of Essam and Dalal Obaidin order to carry on their parents' humanitarian spirits.It isa global non-profit organization thatsupports medical research and careas well as theefforts of state and non-state entities in fostering peaceand dialogue among people.EDOF's goal is to make a difference in improving the lives of people everywhere as it joins the daily effort of its fellow advocates to raise awareness, educate, and build bridges.

More information about the EDOF and the CNN Freedom Project can be found at www.edof.org/en/partnerships/cnnfreedomproject

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