In Colombia one of the main motivations for guerrillas to demobilize is the long time without seeing their mothers. Considering that Christmas is the most nostalgic time of the year, we were asked to create a campaign that should impact FARC guerrillas with direct messages to invite them to come back home.

By using the childhood pictures of the guerrillas we did the demobilization message very powerful for three main reasons.

1. In the pictures only they can recognized themselves so they didn’t take any risk. We give the message directly to the guerrilla.

2. We remind them that their moms are still waiting for them despite the years.

3. The campaign impacts all Colombia achieving that the people were motivated to forgiveness and support the guerrilla’s mothers. The campaign also helped people to be realized that everyone has a mother who suffer and wait for her son in Christmas.

Based on the ex guerrillas testimonies who said that the long time without seeing their mothers is one of the main motivations to demobilize, the Program of Humanitarian Attention to the Demobilized looked for guerrilla’s mothers in order to personally motivate the demobilization of their sons during Christmas.These mothers provided pictures of their children before they joined the Guerrilla to invite them to come back home. Pictures where only they can recognize themselves. These photos were taken to the areas where the fighting is still going on with a direct message:“Before being a guerrilla, you are my son. Come home this Christmas.”

Many demobilized guerrillas recognized themselves in the photos and them who not, said that the direct messages touch them and motivate them to come back home with their mothers.

The Minister of Defense joined the campaign helping to paste photos and giving a message to support guerrilla’s mothers in order to invite their children to come back home with them.

And the most important result, 218 mothers welcomed their children home.