As we come to the end of 2025, we look back at the clients who have journeyed alongside us over the years and who have helped shape some of the work we do here at Stories. Our team believes in not just taking photos and videos but doing it with a greater purpose in mind: capturing stories and moments that truly matter and that carry impact. One of our clients that stands out is the United Nations Children’s Fund Malaysia, better known as UNICEF Malaysia.
Our journey began in 2018 when we were asked to document Malaysia’s first inclusive playground in Elmina, a collaboration between UNICEF Malaysia and Sime Darby Property. Initially, the project ran smoothly, and our team got to witness how they brought in inclusive playground experts from Australia to help facilitate workshops with children with disabilities to help them envision their dream playground. Besides making the playground more accessible to everyone (like wider ramps and playground swings for a wheelchair-bound child), other elements, such as sound, smell, and texture, were also incorporated into the playground planning. Our team had to learn how to work closely with young kids with various disabilities, ranging from autism to deafness, blindness, wheelchair use, and cerebral palsy. The team had to learn how to respect the kids’ space, understand what terminology was acceptable, and get down to the kids’ comfort level to shoot.
What started out as a few months’ project turned into a long four-year documentation project as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and delayed the building and launch of the playground. In 2022, when we wrapped the project, it felt so rewarding to see how the inclusive playground was able to bring joy to children with disabilities, as some of them were able to enjoy a swing or spinning around together with their family members for the first time. Being able to capture these precious moments over photos and videos and be part of this experience was very fulfilling, knowing that our team played an important role in this life-changing project.
Our next project with UNICEF came in 2024, when we collaborated with Red Communications to film a series of documentaries about people who have journeyed alongside UNICEF for their 70th anniversary. Policy makers, the younger generation, and donors have all made significant contributions over the years. For this project, the team had to travel as far as Ipoh to document the interviewees. It was very interesting to learn about UNICEF’s history over the years and to observe how the organisation has brought about change and influenced countries’ policies regarding children. We closed off the project by covering their celebratory 70th Anniversary event through photos and videos.
This year, we open a new era, documenting their efforts for the Future Skills for All program (FS4A), which was a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, UNICEF, and partners. This program was created to strengthen future-ready learning for every child, including those with disabilities. The program was set to equip teachers with digital literacy skills and train them to use these tools in adaptive and inclusive teaching styles that helped their students learn better.
Our team had to document a young female student, who was born deaf, as she learnt basic maths with an interactive adapted teaching tool that used micro:bit technology. This device was created by her teacher after he attended the FS4A programme. Using the new device, she was able to learn with better visual understanding how basic maths worked. Our team learnt how to communicate with the young girl throughout the shoot and be mindful of the way we film. It was indeed very rewarding to be part of this project and to see the final work that was produced.
As 2026 comes along, we look forward to more opportunities and collaborations with such clients. The relationship we build along the way connects to what we truly believe—that our visuals can truly have an impact on this world beyond monetary value.
