Plan and Clowns Without Borders show the power of laughter on Network Ten's The Project

Did you catch us on Network Ten's The Project on Friday night? As part of our recovery work following the devastating Typhoon Haiyan Plan is working with Clowns Without Borders to entertain affected children and bring a little light to their lives. Plan Australia CEO Ian Wishart and professional clown Briar Seyb-Hayden explained that entertaining children goes further than a few giggles – it speeds up the healing process. 

“One man said, this is exactly what we needed – it’s brought hope back into the community. You can see that the children are healing,” said Ian Wishart to The Project’s panel.

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Clowns Deliver Smiles and Laughter to Areas Hit by Typhoon

With the support of Plan International, Clowns Without Borders (CWB), an organization that uses humor as a means of providing psychosocial support to communities, has been providing smiles to the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

The community, which was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan six months ago in November 2013, is in need of laughter.

“During the Clowns Without Borders show, the clowns help children shift their attention from worries and fears and bring them back to moments of laughter and joy,” said Roy Tjan, Plan's Child Protection in Emergencies adviser. “Important messages about protection from violence and abuse, about friendship and health and hygiene can be integrated in funny sketches that are both attractive and entertaining for children. The shows enable children to be [children] again, be playful and relax for a while. This is vital for their well-being and it greatly contributes to children´s resilience after a disaster.”
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Behind the Smile: a clown’s experience after Haiyan

It has been more than 100 days since Typhoon Haiyan. The entire world rushed to help the Philippines with humanitarian relief in the form of food, water and shelter... But another team with a very different kind of help arrived: they brought smiles with them.

When Michael O’Neil from Clowns Without Borders arrived the massive destruction overwhelmed him and his other 3 fellow clowns.

Michael is a teacher, director and performer with a BA from Castleton State College; he is a graduate of the most famous Ringling Bros.; and has a Masters in Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Portland.
 
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