Blogs

CWBI activities during the COVID-19 pandemic

The health crisis that the world is facing has drastically reduced the opportunities for CWBI’s chapters to plan national and international projects and reach their usual audiences. While many borders are still closed around the world, CWBI chapters are kept busy to resume projects in their home countries in favour of children in need or populations affected by Covid19; these activities strictly follow the rules from each administration. Planning to resume international projects we strongly focus on CWBI’s code of ethics, which  is based on the respect of laws, norms and cultural customs in the country that our team members visit. In line with our code of ethics, when traveling abroad CWBI’s chapters are committed to following the health guidelines and protocols issued by the visited country, its national health authorities and our local project partners. Due to the volatile situation this monitoring is done on a day-to-day basis. In addition, CWBI´s chapters review the World Health Organization Guidelines for international travel and travel related to specific countries for each program. CWBI’s priority has been, and will always be to keep communities and our team members safe. We are strongly committed to keep promoting the right to laugh and play, adapting our activities for our audience and team security. 

Social Impact Report

Clowns Without Borders International gathers clowns, acrobats and musicians who donate their time and travel the world to perform for people in need of laughter. Our vision is a free and open-minded world of play, laughter and dreams, where all people have the opportunity to develop and express themselves free from cultural boundaries and feel hope even in vulnerable situations. Therefore, our priority is to bring joy with respect for and awareness of local cultural values. Our aim is to defend human rights, especially children's rights by promoting peacebuilding and resilience through laughter. Do you want to learn more about the social impact of our projects all around the world ? Our international teams ? Our governance ? Our partners ? Our indicators and evaluation methods ? Take a look at our 2018 Social Impact Report by clicking here.

Welcome to CWB India !

  CWBI is happy to have a new official chapter joining its international network of clowns !   After many years of collaborating in partnership with CWB chapters, and after two years of pandemic that have been slowing down the administrative process and paperwork, we are happy to inform that CWBI has an official chapter in India !  CWBI is now composed of 15 national chapters and welcomes its first chapter in the Asian continent. Rupesh Tillu, founder of CWB India, grew up in Mumbai and has been associated with CWB projects in different places of the world since the past ten years. He attended a clowning workshop by a trainer from Germany and realized  “that I had been doing this my whole life. I just wasn’t aware that it was called clowning.” It sparked his interest in the art form, following which he applied to Clowns Without Borders in 2007 and was accepted into a six-month international programme, in Sweden. He joined them full time the following year. Then he joined many CWB tours in Moldova, Egypt, Palestine, Bhutan, etc. Living then in Sweden, he joined a project supported by CWB Sweden to bring psychosocial support to the red light district young girls in Mumbai, India. In 2013 and 2014, the project continued not only with the girls but also with their mothers joining the shows, and also offering training to the girls, so they could perform themselves the following years. In 2015, he moved back in Mumbai and progressively gathered artists from various backgrounds, starting the process to create an official CWB chapter in India. The chapter is working on 4 main projects : Katha-rsis : personal stories of performers creating a cathartic [...]

Offre de service civique

CWBI is looking for a volunteer based in Paris ! Would you like to learn more about the coordination of our international network, and support our communication, resources-sharing, projects and fundraising ? CWBI is looking for a new member to join the team, and work half time to support  our french chapter Clowns Sans Frontières, and half time for CWBI. You can send us your application until the 10th of October 2022. Check the details of the offer here below 👇 Offre de Service Civique_CSF-CWBI   CWBI recherche un(e) volontaire en Service Civique basé(e) à Paris ! Tu aimerais en apprendre plus sur la coordination de notre réseau international, et soutenir nos actions de communication, de partage de ressources ou encore de recherche de financement ? CWBI est à la recherche d'un(e) volontaire en service civique pour travailler à mi-temps en soutien des actions de notre chapitre français Clowns Sans Frontières France, et à mi-temps sur les actions de coordination du réseau international.  Les candidatures sont ouvertes jusqu'au 10 octobre 2022. Plus d'informations en lien ici 👇 Offre de Service Civique_CSF-CWBI  

Our 2021 Annual Report is available !

What happened in CWBI network in 2021 ? The pandemic has definitely impacted and challenged CWBI chapters in the last two years. And yet, we are happy to share with you some key numbers from last year, that show CWBI chapters' capacity to create new ways to reach our audience. 41 countries reached 71 projects implemented (including 8 joint-projects) 950 shows attended by more 110 000 children and adults 1600 workshops joined by more than 22 000 children and adults In Alexander Strauss's words, President of CWBI : "we can be proud of this, but also proud that in the last 30 years, since the foundation of Payasos Sin Fronteras / Pallassos Sense Fronteres / Clowns Without Borders in Spain, we have managed to spread the value of artistic work in a humanitarian context in the conscious of millions of people worldwide". If you want to learn more about CWBI chapters' activities in 2021, check our Annual Report 2021 here !

Our 2020 Annual Report is available !

The year 2020 started as usual, with many projects planned around the world by CWBI chapters. Some of those projects could take place in the beginning of the year, but it all stopped as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. However, CWBI chapters have used their creativity and adapting skills to propose projects in their home country or globally via online tools and new programs to keep spreading smiles and laugther around the world in spite of international borders closing. Do you want to learn more about CWBI chapter's activities in 2020 ? Check our 2020 Annual Report, available here !  @ CBWSA-2020 @PSF Spain - 2020  

Diversity, Decoloniality and Inclusion Policy

CWBI is an international, independent, and non-profit organisation  consisting of 14 chapters sharing the common mission to offer joy and laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency.  Our work is based on building meaningful, enduring and respectful relationships across different cultures. We cannot do this without a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. As a humanitarian organisation we engage with diverse individuals, communities, organisations and other bodies around the world. In doing so we aim to develop and sustain partnerships and relationships based on mutuality, to support understanding and trust. The organization recognizes that all people face distinct risks and varied needs. These  can increase according to the intersection of characteristics such as ethnic origin and other factors, including age, disability, sexual orientation, health status, including HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, social status, immigration and/or legal status, ethnicity, faith and nationality (or lack thereof). We focus on five areas of diversity, aligned to those protected by equality legislation : Gender, gender identity or expression and sexual orientation Race and ethnicity Religion or belief Disability/ability Age CWB chapters agreed on a common policy to improve diversity, decoloniality and inclusion in : the organization of anti-racism training  for members of CWB the representation in the board and artistic teams artistic content and performance pedagogic approach and workshops internal and external communication To learn more about the Diversity, decoloniality and inclusion policy, click here.

Welcome to Arthur Toyoshima, our new steering committee member !

We are happy to welcome a new steering committee member of CWBI. As our wonderful former secretary Sarah Liane Foster, decided to step down, Arthur Toyoshima has been elected during our last General Assembly to replace her. Together with Alex Strauss (President/CLOG) and Anneli De Wahl (Treasurer/CUG), he will contribute to facilitate communication and cooperation between CWB's chapters, Arthur Toyoshima is a Brazilian-Japanese clown, trained in physical theater and dramatic arts. He is the founder of Palhaços Sem Fronteiras Brasil (CWB-Brazil) together with Aline Moreno. He has already carried out projects in Western Sahara, South Sudan, Brazil and El Salvador. As the secretary of CWBI steering committee, his experience both in terms of administrative aspects of CWB Brazilian chapter and project coordination, will be a precious asset in CWBI's team. He will also contribute a lot to our discussions about diversity, inclusion and decolonization within the organization, and how to increase the plurality in our international network. Thanks a lot Arthur for accepting the challenge, and welcome on board ! [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

CWBI Calls for Solidarity and Human Rights at the EU Border

Our world is undergoing a crisis. As Covid-19 sweeps the globe, all of us are in search of safety for ourselves and our loved ones. Meanwhile, on the borders of Europe, many people are also in desperate need of safety from war and persecution. How much more difficult is their plight now, in the face of the current global pandemic ? Since 1993, Clowns Without Borders has met millions of children in areas in crisis all over the world, but never before have we seen a human rights crisis like the one happening at the border of Greece today. The European Union was founded to prevent conflict, but has started a war against people fleeing from persecution. People are fleeing to Europe for a chance to be safe and survive, but instead they are met with teargas, violence, armed police and closed borders. It’s inhumane and a catastrophe.In a world that often feels hard to understand, it’s international human rights law that must be our compass through hardship and seemingly impossible situations. These laws are very clear. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to live, that governments must make sure that children survive and develop in the best way possible. It also states that children who flee from their home country should get the help and protection they need. Further, the right to seek asylum is set in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and is one of the most important obligations of international law. All the countries in the EU have signed these documents, and promised to follow the guidelines.Elected politicians and international actors are now abandoning these obligations. This a betrayal of [...]

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