The campaign “A country of make-doers and make-dos”, through the character of “Remedios”: the woman who makes do with everything, challenges the normalization of child poverty in our country, as 3 out of every 10 children in Spain live in families facing economic hardship.
Heating or a warm coat at home? Three children and a single computer? Eating fresh vegetables three days a week? In Spain, these aren’t questions from a fictional script, but the daily reality of thousands of families.
Making do shouldn’t be the answer
Spain is a country of resourceful, creative people, people who know how to make do. We know how to get by and find quick fixes and fast solutions to difficulties. However, ingenuity should not be the solution to a problem as serious as child poverty.
Under this premise, Remedios was born, “the queen of making do,” who represents ingenuity born of necessity. Through a traditional-style spot set to a flamenco rhythm, Remedios becomes a symbol of that constant effort to survive through creativity… until her look to camera makes it clear: child poverty can’t be fixed with quick fixes, it needs real measures.
This narrative was made possible through the joint work of ROSAPARKS, which signs the concept and script from its expertise in brand purpose, and Hogarth España, which gave visual and technical shape to a piece that not only mobilizes, but makes an impact, moves people, and leaves a lasting impression.
Creativity that connects and mobilizes
The strength of “A Country of Make-Doers” lies in an insight deeply rooted in Spanish culture: that almost romantic ability to “make do” in the face of adversity. An ingenuity we tend to celebrate, but which, in reality, conceals a structural harshness: many families survive, they don’t live. The campaign captures this imagery and translates it into an audiovisual piece that turns the everyday into an urgent call to action.
The sound, built from claps, heel taps, and the whistle of a boiling coffee pot, runs through the entire spot like an emotional metronome. It reflects the constant tension under which thousands of families live, stretching their resources, time, and energy day after day. That rising crescendo conveys urgency. The urgency for institutions to stop looking the other way and take responsibility: the implementation of universal childcare support can’t wait.
In addition to the main video, the campaign includes different digital pieces featuring Remedios, the queen of making do, who will be the voice challenging the normalized narrative of poverty and become a key ally for Save the Children in changing the conversation around child poverty in Spain. And a series of graphic pieces that showcase different “workarounds” for real issues: energy poverty, impossible work-life balance, lack of school resources, and more.
The campaign will roll out progressively through October, coinciding with key dates on the social calendar, such as Poverty Awareness Week or the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, aiming to keep the debate alive and build social and political pressure to achieve real change.
A necessary narrative shift
For the first time, Save the Children moves away from a more serious tone to embrace a narrative that’s more ironic, culturally relevant, and emotionally effective. “A Country of Make-Doers and Make-Dos” isn’t about blaming families, but about calling on institutions and society as a whole to drive real solutions: universal childcare support, structural measures, and public policies focused on children.
ROSAPARKS’ creative team explains: ROSAPARKS “We wanted to flip the usual narrative. To show that being resourceful is fine, but it shouldn’t be a requirement for survival. This campaign was created to be uncomfortable, yes, but also to expose a reality and drive action,” says Loreto von Chrismar, Executive Creative Director of the agency.
A call to action and collective responsibility.
The campaign invites collective reflection: children’s well-being shouldn’t depend on individual ingenuity, but on institutional and social commitment. Because if we have to make do, let it be to join forces.
According to data from Save the Children, raising a child in Spain costs between 672 and 1,049 euros a month, depending on age. This cost, unaffordable for many families, calls for structural measures. That’s why the organization is actively working to secure universal childcare support: a benefit that would ensure the resources needed for all children in Spain to grow up with dignity, without the burden falling solely on families.
Sign the petition:https://www.savethechildren.es/actua/prestacion-universal-crianza
Full spot https://youtu.be/PButMxNZfDI
More information: https://www.savethechildren.es/paisdeapanadas
