With the new year just around the corner, we have a lot planned for Christmas and 2024. Find out how we want to bring laughter and joy to children and young people in Namibia. And how you can help

Finally, the time has come: we have set up a non-profit, registered association to put our artistic work for the mental health of children, young people and their families in Namibia on a stable, long-term footing.

A few years ago, we started to train the first professional hospital clowns in Namibia, to perform plays for children in the townships, and to create a whole new profession for artists. Not only do the little patients and the audience benefit from our work, but our project also has a broad impact in a country where unemployment plays a major role. Our aim as an association is now to use this project for our annual Christmas campaign, this time in several cities, and to use these performances as a starting point for regular artistic work to promote the mental health of children in Namibia.

From 2024, we would also like to visit Katutura Hospital regularly with our team, as we did on two wards on a weekly basis before the pandemic. During these visits, the clown duo "Holá & TikTok" also train two other hospital clowns in Windhoek. On the coast, clown "Princess Banana", who is also our first chairperson, has already established contacts with various institutions and will also regularly make children laugh, for example in orphanages, and train at least one more hospital clown.

The donations will support the training programme for the artists. Costumes also have to be sewn and props bought. Small gifts such as bubbles, stuffed animals, stickers or similar for the children in the hospital are paid for by the donations. At Christmas, we also like to distribute - in addition to a full meal - pastries and a small sweet. This is always a special highlight for the children. Pencils, paper and glue are also given to the institutions so that the children can creatively follow up and process the theatre experience with the caregivers even after the clown visit. The travel costs for the clowns and the volunteers are also financed from the donations.

Our theatre club for young people, a regular project since 2020 in cooperation with Friends4Friends e.V., can resume its rehearsals and put on another performance. The costs for costumes, transport, room rental, a theatre teacher as well as healthy snacks and drinks for the young people will be covered by the donations.

If there are any donations left over, we will put them into advertising our work, because the publicity of our work and the extraordinary effect of drama, theatre and humour for children and young people in crisis situations must be further promoted in Namibia. This will enable us to hire a photographer and a filmmaker to accompany our performances for a small fee.

Donations are used to support the training programme for the artists. Costumes also need to be sewn and props bought. Small gifts such as soap bubbles, soft toys, stickers, etc. for the children in the hospital are paid for from the donations. At Christmas we also like to give out cookies and sweets as well as a full meal. This is always a special treat for the children. Pencils, paper and glue are also given to the institutions so that the children can continue to work creatively with their carers after the clown's visit. Donations also pay for the clowns' and volunteers' travel expenses.

Our youth theatre club, a regular project since 2020 in cooperation with Friends4Friends e.V., will be able to continue its rehearsals and put on another performance. The costs for costumes, transport, room rental, a drama teacher and healthy snacks and drinks for the young people will be covered by the donations.

If there is any money left over, we will use it to promote our work, as we need to spread the word in Namibia about the extraordinary impact of drama, theatre and humour for children and young people in crisis. This will enable us to hire a photographer and filmmaker to accompany our performances for a small fee.

You can find our campaign on betterplace.org here. Thank you all for your support - you are helping us to spread laughter and joy.