Save the Children Shares Stories of Hope in Powerful Ad

With over 100 years experience in working with and for children, across 115 countries, Save the Children has witnessed, countless times, the importance of a single moment that can change the course of a child’s life. Through powerful storytelling, London-based independent advertising agency, Don’t Panic brings this narrative to life, following the lives of three children as they progress, reconnect and arrive. 

An established organisation, Save the Children, like any NGO, relies upon its supporter base to ensure it can carry out life-changing work. Together with families, supporters and partners, the charity works to help every child get the future they deserve. Making sure that every child has the right to learn, has good food to fuel their bodies and medicine when they're sick. Since 1919 Save the Children has fought for a fairer world for children. 

Screened across UK TV and social media, ‘Our Proudest Moments Are Theirs’, tells the story of three protagonists in moments of their own, all facilitated by Save the Children; a baby born in rural Liberia, a young Bangladeshi girl being reunited with her mother and a nine year old boy going to school for the first time in a Syrian refugee camp. The baby is born with the help of Save the Children trained midwife ‘Alice’; a story based in fact, inspired by the tale of Alice Sumo. Alice, ‘one of the world’s busiest midwives’ who delivered her first baby in a street at gunpoint, in war-torn Liberia. Over the last 28 years, Alice has delivered over 1,000 babies named after her; a whole community, with ages ranging from 30 years to a few weeks old. Alice is portrayed by an actress who, like the real Alice, travels on a motorbike to a rural community to help Lucy through her labour. This story is framed by two others; Ali, a young refugee who attends school run by Save the Children for the first time in a Syrian camp and learns to write his name. And, Milli who is reunited with her mother in Bangladesh, as part of a Save the Children reunification programme, after having been separated for a year. 

Kate Hewitt, director of brand and creative, Save the Children UK, “We’re incredibly proud of the work we at Save the Children have done and continue to do, but in a challenging market, we need more than ever to sustain and grow support for the future. One way to do this is by sharing stories of our work and demonstrating how we create lasting change, with and for children. This campaign is one of the steps we’re taking to increase the public’s understanding around our role and impact, whilst building a stronger emotional connection to drive greater support. 

In the mass market space, Save the Children wants to develop powerful experiences that make people feel energised and connected to what it does. The organisation aims to transform its impact around the world, supporting children to be healthy, educated and protected, whilst also arming them with the tools needed to cope with future shocks. 

Often the public thinks a crisis is only a short-term event, leading them to see Save the Children’s work as an ‘emergency response’, having a clear beginning and end. ‘Our Proudest Moments Are Theirs’ demonstrates to the audience that the charity is part of a much longer recovery and development journey; it is here for now and for the future. Moving the audience away from the misconception that Save the Children only responds in emergencies, the campaign highlights its purpose for children, every minute, every day, all around the world. 

George McCallum, creative director, Don’t Panic, “We want people to see Save the Children for what it is - a collaborator - offering tailored, compassionate and impactful support, regardless of where it might be needed. The organisation doesn't just ride in when disaster strikes. It is there for all the moments, big and small. For this campaign we focussed on those moments; things that change the course of children’s lives.” 

“We used a naturalistic mise-en-scène to closely mirror the real world, while remaining true to the authentic emotions and the actual narratives in these real-life stories. I loved the freedom during this process and the opportunity to explore complex human emotions and social situations. Working closely with Don’t Panic and Save the Children was a great collaboration." said Marcus Söderlund, director, Academy 

‘Our Proudest Moments Are Theirs’ launches the 60” hero and 30” Liberia films on Thursday 14th September on Channel 4, ITV and satellite and digital stations including VOD across the South East. A social campaign will support the work, utilising Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Media has been planned and booked by Essence Media Com.