Clowns Without Borders South Africa Njabulo HIV/AIDS Intervention Programme

Clowns Without Borders South Africa connects local facilitating artists with community-based organisations (CBOs) in Southern Africa to provide psychosocial support through edutainment strategies. ("Njabulo" is the Zulu word for "joy and happiness"). This organisation is motivated by the belief that laughter and play have the capacity to improve the psychosocial conditions of those in areas of crisis, and so has developed its own approach that uses play, performance, theatre arts education, drama therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and professional empowerment to address the psychosocial needs of children and their caregivers. Organisers explain, "We are really looking at strengthening the relationship between children and their caregivers at home on a daily basis by awakening a sense of play and joy in their lives." This strategy involves the following components:

• Partner with CBOs to complement existing services provided to children and their caregivers;
• Reach out to all vulnerable children and caregivers, not only children orphaned by HIV/AIDS but all those affected;
• Educate children and community members on HIV/AIDS prevention, non-violent conflict resolution, diversity, and compassion for those suffering from the disease;
• Foster emotional recovery from abandonment and loss through caring and nurturing interaction and positive reinforcement of social values that promote peace, diversity, and community;
• Facilitate social integration of children and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease;
• Establish relationships that can enhance recovery over a period of time by connecting the children with local performers and artists, schools, and home-based care centres; and
• Contribute to learning on the part of community volunteers and organisation staff workers who are interested in learning how to use theatre as psychological therapy. The focus is on developing long-term capacity for local community involvement and empowerment.

CWBSA interventions involve the following:

• Emergency Relief Expeditions: Send in the clowns! - Using nonverbal physical comedy, music, storytelling, and dance, CWBSA performances are designed to provide momentary relief to large numbers of children and adults throughout the world and to help transform places affected by violence, poverty, and other crises by creating an atmosphere of celebration where it is needed most. While humour and play are the primary foci, performances also raise awareness of important issues affecting the community.
• Residency Programme for Home Care Resiliency Training - Providing emotional relief to children and caregivers affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic is CWBSA’s primary focus in Southern Africa. Njabulo HIV/AIDS Residencies are 10-day workshops in collaboration with CBOs. Teams of clowns, artists, and facilitators work with guardians and children who are affected by HIV/AIDS to deepen their relationship and capacity for care at home. Emphasis is on developing tools for resiliency through drama, play, storytelling, creative movement, circus arts, and mindfulness-based stress relief techniques.
• Local Capacity Development - CWBSA provides local capacity training to CBOs to help address the psychosocial needs in their areas. CWBSA has ongoing capacity building projects in Swaziland, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, and South Africa. Their work empowers artists to enhance their own careers with the skills necessary to create sustainable social circus and theatre programmes in their community.
• Raising Awareness - CWBSA works to raise the social awareness of society both domestically and internationally through educational tours consisting of publicity campaigns, performances, and presentations. They also aim to connect communities together in a network of support and solidarity.

Children, HIV/AIDS, Health.

Between 2004 and 2009, CWBSA sent teams of clowns, teachers and performers to Southern Africa to visit urban and rural communities. As of June 2009, they have performed for more than 170,000 children and adults in community centres, schools, fields, hospitals, and children’s villages. Reflecting on these experiences, CWBSA suggests that “Children between the ages of 6 to 16 and their caregivers receive the most benefit from our interactions and can improve their psycho-social condition over the long term."

CWBSA is part of an international humanitarian community Clowns Without Borders - CWB) that provides laughter and emotional relief to children in communities of crisis around the world. Since 1993, chapters from 9 different countries have sent hundreds of expeditions to areas including Sudan, Nepal, Haiti, and Southern Africa. CWB also works to raise awareness of conditions encountered in the field and to promote solidarity between people and cultures.