This Online Advent Calendar Counts Down All of 2016’s Terrible Events

Let's be honest, 2016 has been a pretty horrendous year. The world lost beloved singers David Bowie and Prince, Harambe, the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla was shot and killed after a child fell into the animal's enclosure, while shootings, wars and natural disasters raged on.

Two British creatives working in Berlin, Robert Hall (a creative at M&C Saatchi) and Tim Cook (from M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment), came up with an idea that would not only highlight some of the worst moments of 2016 but also give back to those who are truly in need of some support.

Enter the Badvent Calendar. It's like an advent calendar, but instead of dispensing delicious chocolates, it tosses out Tumblr posts highlighting the terrible events of 2016. While it may send you back into a deep, dark hole of 2016-induced depression, it's all for a good cause. At the end of each post, there's an inspiring call to action: The Badvent Calendar asks you to donate to EducAid Sierra Leone, an organization that provides free secondary education to people in Sierra Leone.

"Like typical Brits we were having a really good moan while having a cup of tea the morning just after Donald Trump won the election. We were both pretty shocked about the result, just like we were after Brexit. Coincidentally, the result came just a day after Leonard Cohen's death—and we both were like: 'Hang on a minute, is 2016 the sh*ttest year ever?'" Hall and Cook said in an email.

Remember Harambe? Or as Hall and Cook refer to it, "Motherf*cking Harambe." Yeah, that sucked. But hey, you could turn that sadness into positivity by donating some money to a great charity that helps educate people (which you can do here)!

Over a couple of weeks, Hall and Cook brainstormed some of the worst things that happened throughout the year making sure to cover a range of topics from celebrity deaths to natural disasters. Then the idea came to make the calendar for good, especially since it's the giving season.

The duo decided to raise money for EducAid Sierra Leone because they felt strongly that "education should be a right not a privilege. Perhaps if people were a bit more educated, some events in 2016 wouldn't have happened!" they added. 

By Christmas, the goal is to raise 1,000 pounds. A donation of 195 pounds gives one pupil education, food and medical care for one year, 50 pounds feeds a child for one year, 25 pounds keeps a girl in a safe house for three months and 10 pounds gives education, food and medical care to one pupil for two weeks.  

"Well we are really hoping to end 2016 on a high and raise 1,000 pounds by Christmas day, so that we can give the kids of Sierra Leone a present they'll never forget. If we can raise more than that figure, maybe we'll have to rethink how bad 2016 actually was," they added.