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Project Burma 2013. Moshe Cohen (cwb-usa founder) spent over two weeks in Yangon teaching workshops and performing with local theater group Thukhama Khayeethe, March 6-23, 2013. He also conducted two staff trainings with Medecins Du Monde.

CWB USA is thrilled to be partnering with CWB France and Sweden in a three year long initiative in Burma. The three year long project will be focused on bringing the fun and funny into the Children’s Training Schools in Yangon area as well as collaborating with Burmese artists. Clowns Without Borders will work with Thukhuma Khayathe, to create an ongoing program of comic theater workshops in the training schools.
To offer healthy, balanced, joyful learning activities to the children through creative expression and movement from the worlds of clown, mime, circus and theater.

The intention of this project is to work in areas within India that are crisis zones among populations of children that have been marginalized by society and living in extreme poverty. We currently have invitations from three organizations, including: MOBILE CRECHES, SALAAM BAALAK TRUST, and THE TEHELKA FOUNDATION.
In addition to working in Delhi, we will be working in Jaupur and Tilonia, in Rajasthan. Here we will perform and provide workshops at the Barefoot College and Digantar, organizationsworking with rural children to sustainable solutions and education.
We will be working with children defined as juveniles living in observation houses and who are considered in conflict with the law. We will also be working with the Crèches and Daycare Centres where they care for children of itinerant workers at construction sites and in slums. Finally we will perform for several 24-hour shelters for homeless boys and girls.

Our Clowns Without Borders collaboration in Japan has just ended. For 3 weeks I, Moshe Cohen (founder) joined Guy Totaro and his efforts as the Tyler Foundation’s Shine On! Smile Ambassador to bring smiles and laughter to the children affected by the Tsunami/Earthquake disaster last March. For the first week, I taught free workshops in Tokyo for performers wishing to join Guy’s efforts in Tohoku. Then, Guy, his assistant Keiko, and I traveled to Ofunato for ten days to do shows and workshops in elementary schools and childcare centers in the region. During our 9 working days we offered:
20 shows, 17 workshops for/ with: 50 parents/grand parents, 75 teachers administrators and 1,177 children! Guy will continue to travel to the region with other performers two weeks out of every month in the near future.
Below you will find my journal entries and photographs. Big thanks to the Emirates Airlines Foundation for their support by flying me to Japan.

Join Tyler and Jon on their journey to Cambodia for the Tini Tinou festival! The two volunteer artists will also spend time performing at schools and other centers for children in Phnom Penh and Battambang. Fresh off of their stint at the Berkshire Fringe Festival, Jon and Tyler are ready to bring laughter to the people of Cambodia. Jon and Tyler base there clowning operations in San Francisco where they produce the Clown Cabaret at the Climate Theater. Jon and Tyler have performed and worked with Circus Smirkus, Theater Works, Camp Winnarainbow, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and Theatro Zinzanni. Beyond their work with Pi, Jon and Tyler are professional circus arts teachers. With their powers combined they form a clown duo the likes of which the world has never seen before.

Moshe Cohen was the US artist in this project. Afterwards, he stayed on in Yangon to do 5 shows with the Belgian-Myanmar group.
At the same time he offered training sessions to Activity Facilitators who work with children in Training Schools and Child Friendly Spaces of disadvantaged areas. The training was similar to the delta workshops in focus, taking the work further by Moshe’s participation in AF activities in the field, thus providing hands on training.
This winter the international CWB push as all of last years groups are sending performances to Myanmar. Moshe Cohen will focus on working in the Training Schools, in Yangon and in Mandalay. He will be offering performances and furthering last year’s training with Activity Facilitators with more workshops and field trainings.

Anna Zastrow joins Dan Roberts and D’dy Soker (Indonesia based Hidung Merah artists) in Sumatra.
I have now been in Indonesia almost two weeks and it is time to report in! I am here joining Dan Roberts and his Hidung Merah (Red Nose) Circus and together we will bring clown joy to children living in disadvantaged or distressed conditions.

We are visiting poor villages around Jakarta, as well as the earthquake victims of Padang, and will possibly venture to Aceh, still recovering from the 2004 tsunami and civil unrest, or Sulawesi, where communities are caught up in religious conflict.

CWB will travel to India in December 2009 to work and clown with children and adults affected by HIV/AIDS, street children and children with limited access to education from tribal areas in the state of Maharashtra.

Dan returned to Indonesia in January 2009 in collaboration with Clowns Without Borders and his own new venture, Hidung Mera (Red Nose Circus). From Dan: I’ve been in Jakarta for over two weeks now and things have been quickly beginning to roll. Aside from being out of commission for several days due to illness, I’ve been busily meeting with different groups and creating a schedule for the next few months.

Dan’s first project in Indonesia.

CWB is rejuvenating our collaboration with our partners in Indonesia! Follow along as the adventure begins in late April, 2012.