The Belgian association Cliniclowns is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. For three decades, the clowns who are members of this network have been traveling through Belgian hospitals to entertain sick children and those suffering from disabilities, and thus allow them, for a moment, to become “just children” again.
It all started in 1994, when two clowns visited two hospitals for the first time. In 30 years, the network has expanded significantly and now includes 33 professional clowns who visit some 25,000 children in 37 hospitals and care establishments each year. The association has existed in Wallonia since 2005.
Each performance is “a total improvisation, adapted to each child”, explains the association. “The whole art consists of determining what the child needs at this precise moment to be able to bring him a little ‘lightness’ during his stay in the hospital,” adds the president of Cliniclowns, Renée Marien, quoted in the press release.
“For me, Cliniclowns represent much more than laughter. They give courage and lightness in the most difficult times,” emphasizes the artistic director of the association, Saartje Hendrickx.
The association operates entirely thanks to donations. It will celebrate its 30th anniversary during a big party open to the public on November 12 at Asiat Park in Vilvoorde (Flemish Brabant).
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