Familiares y Amigos de las Víctimas de la Tragedia de Santa Fe was established in 2006 following a tragic crash that took the lives of nine teenagers and a young professor on a Santa Fé road, 700 km north of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The incident was widely reported in the national media, and prompted debate about the need for safer roads.
In 2010, because of a personal interest, a reputed professional photographer, Gabriel Roca, approached the organization with an offer to support its activities through his work on a pro bono basis. Mr Roca, who is well regarded in the artistic community, has access to many well-known personalities in the fashion, film and music industries. He proposed a concept for a poster campaign, using black and white images of famous faces, including internationally acclaimed actor Ricardo Darín.
Each face represents one of the students or the professor whose life was lost in this incident. The theme of the series is "We all were. We all are. We all could be", evoking the notion that we are all part of a common humanity, and need to take care of each other. The poster series eventually developed into a video, broadcast on screens in the Buenos Aires subway system, which carries around 2 million users each day.
The organization is currently negotiating presentation of the video on cinema screens across the country. Identifying a champion for the cause has allowed the organization to gain support from Government agencies and private companies which in turn has allowed it to promote its road safety messages and calls for action more widely.