• by Fern Siegel , July 11, 2024

A provocative new ad is bringing home a tragic message: Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in the United States, according to heath policy org KFF.

And, despite many anti-gun campaigns, the gun violence epidemic remains. Because lawmakers won't act, Change the Ref, founded by the parents of Joaquin Oliver, murdered in the Parkland school shooting, has kicked off its latest effort. And it takes its message to other nations.

Manuel and Patricia Oliver's Change the Ref has a new awareness campaign — “Save us from the USA” — which launched across billboards, kiosks and wild postings in London, Madrid, Paris and Lisbon. It will continue to roll out in select markets globally.

The focus: shaming U.S. lawmakers by asking other nations to adopt our children and rescue them from gun violence.

The OOH “adoption campaign,” fashioned as classic newspaper ads, shows images of children that ask readers to “Adopt an American Child.”

The ads read: “The USA can’t save its children from gun violence, so we turn this plea to other countries: Please save these children from the USA. Consider adopting an American child.”

An online video   is running on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, organic social and the campaign's landing page. It shows portraits of kids, yearbook-style, and ends with a call to “consider adopting an American child and taking them back with you to safety.”

The campaign was created in partnership with independent advertising agencies Atlantic New York in Brooklyn and Stream and Tough Guy, in Lisbon.

“The nation has become desensitized to the absurd reality of innocent people getting shot because a group of politicians decided to sell their souls to the gun industry. Today, we call for international attention with the main intention of revealing a corrupt system that glorifies guns above all else,” said Manuel and Patricia Oliver.