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Power of laughter not only reduces anxiety and stress, but also significantly boosts the immune system in our bodies. Simply, laughter is as good as surgical mask or even better as its effects are more lasting, it’s cheaper and always available.

“Doctor Clown” is a project of Ukrainian charity foundation “Pomagaem”. It has two objectives.

The main is to improve the health of the sick children in hospitals, through the means of clowning therapy: humor, interaction and play. Infusing little patients with positive energy empowers them and increases their motivation not to give in to their illness but to fight for their healing.

And the second objective is to raise awareness of the need for more volunteerism as well as promoting and educating new teams of hospital clowns.

As for today, hospital clowning in Ukraine is still in its beginning stages as a part of the volunteer movement. Over last couple of years our teams have been visiting regularly 10 departments in 3 children hospitals with monthly average of 20 hospital programs and about 500 little patients reached.

Please support our project!

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History of “Hospital Clowning” in Dnepropetrovsk goes back to the year 2006. Polish volunteer Jan Tomasz Rogala moved with his clown colleagues to Ukraine and introduced this concept of clown therapy in the hospitals as well as among the local volunteers.

Jan’s first experience with red nose trace back to 1997 in Astrakhan, Russia. He was already working in different charities for 10 years by then. His American colleague, also a volunteer, introduced him to clown costume as they were conducting series of programs in orphanages and shelters. The magic took place instantly. As Jan recalls in his own words: “We were transported into such a world of laughter and joy that I thought to myself maybe in fact I was born to be a Clown”. In his home country of Poland he was studying meteorology and later English teaching but with time He understood his mission and calling to commit himself to charity work; so started his adventure with volunteering 28 years ago.

In 2006 Jan Tomasz with his family moved to Dnepropetrovsk and as Doctor Fanarik (little flashlight) serves the children in the local hospitals

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With time the need for an organized team of inspired and loving hospital clowns became very clear, so in 2012 the decisions and preparations were made to start a permanent training program - our “Hospital clown school”.

Training program takes about half a year to one year depending on intensity and availability of our students. It is quite customized for our small groups of 4-8 students; up-to-date we got 18 graduates out of which 13 are still active clowns.

Please support our Clown School!

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