The project in summary

Artistic activities and Healthcare Clowning interventions inside the Mavrovouni Camp (Lesbos) for migrant and refugee minors, accompanied and unaccompanied.

The project in detail

With Alta Mane support, in 2023, RED NOSES Clowndoctors International (RNI) intends to strengthen its presence inside the Mavrovouni Camp (Lesbos) by conducting, in collaboration with major international humanitarian organizations operating inside the camp, two Emergency Smile Missions intended, in primis, to minors and UASC located inside the Emergency UASC Center, managed by IOM, and in parallel, to extend its interventions to two categories of differently vulnerable people with a migration background, Single Men and Mothers on the move, through the development of ad hoc activities aimed at intercepting their interest and reconnecting them with life, emotions and joy.

The project aims to:

  • Give children the possibility to bring out their traumas and express their feelings in a playful manner, to help them reconnect to positive feelings and regain reliance and hope;
  • Transfer the Skills of Healthcare Clowning to the local Staff members and volunteers of humanitarian organizations operating on the field to increase their psychosocial wellbeing and help them reduce the stress they experience in their everyday professional lives; 
  • Identify, disseminate, and replicate the Best Practices of Healthcare Clowning in other emergency contexts and transfer them to other stakeholders who intervene on the ground.

Expected beneficiaries per mission during the project period

  • Approximately 400 minors and youth on the move and UASC (0-18 ages);
  • Approximately 60 UASC (0-13 ages);
  • Approximately 10 children on the move with disability (0-13 ages);
  • Approximately 60 Single Men (25+);
  • Approximately 45 aid-workers of the 2 partner organizations intervening on the field;
  • Approximately 170 caregivers (parents, grandparents, relatives taking care of minors) and Community Multipliers (CBOs).

The two missions, planned inside the Mavrovouni Camp (Lesbos), foresee the following activities:

  • One-week Pre-mission Training on the field (per mission) during which 7 clown-doctors and 1 Head of Mission will be trained for the mission;
  • Mission on the field (3 weeks each) during which artistic and Healthcare clowning activities will be organized such as clown-shows, musical parades and Circus Smile Workshops, intended to minors and youth on the move, with and without disabilities, UASC, Single Men and Mothers on the move, and 6  Relief Workshops intended to the humanitarian aid-workers and volunteers of the organizations operating inside the different reception centers;
  • One-day Debriefing on the field (per mission) during which the clown-doctors will have the opportunity to process and reflect on lived experiences, discuss critical issues encountered during the mission, evaluate the interventions and share the Lessons Learnt;
  • Monitoring & Evaluation Process to assess the impact, effectiveness, sustainability and replicability of the Program.