A report on the Clowns without Boards partnership

We are thrilled to announce another successful implementation of our Njabulo HIV/AIDS Residency Programme. Led by Sibongile Tsoanyane, Sabee Shozi, and Sipho Mdletshe, Clowns Without Borders just spent 10 days working with Ingwavuma Orphan Care in a remote part of KwaZulu-Natal. They worked along side local staff members with 30 children and their guardians who are part of IOC's orphan support programme.
Our residency programme is a 10-day workshop intervention with children and their guardians who are affected by HIV/AIDS. Funded in part by the National Arts Council of South Africa and PEPFAR, this initial intervention is part of 5 phase Local Capacity Building Project focused on transferring our methods to our local partner. As you have most probably read in our updates, we have 3 other capacity development projects in Southern Africa: Ixopo, Malealea (Lesotho), and Ndzevane (Swaziland). It is a wonderful new step for our organisation as we begin to empower local communities to provide their own psychosocial support through play and laughter on a sustainable level long after the clowns leave.
Below is a short update from Sibongile. Hope you enjoy!

Peace and laughter,
Jamie

June 9, 2009 - Ingwavuma
Ingwavuma is high up in the corner of KwaZulu-Natal, at the border of Swaziland and Mozambique. Its an area with high HIV/AIDS pandemic and poverty - in a way that you can see even in small ways at the school that we are working. Many children don't have proper uniforms. But our partner organization, Ingwavuma Orphan Care, is doing its best by supplying orphans in schools with uniform so that they can look like other children and reduce the stigma caused by HIV.
Here at Ingwavuma we will be doing a year project, which is divided into 5 phases, of which now we are on phase 1. At the moment, I am training 6 staff members from Ingwavuma Orphan Care and 2 new artists from CWBSA on how to facilitate an Njabulo Residency. In the morning we working with guardians while in the afternoons we are working with children that are being taken care by those guardians.
Both workshops are full of fun playing games and telling stories. For me, the most wonderful moment is when working with guardians in the mornings, of which I think they are the ones who really need these workshops because they are the ones who are looking after these children each day. They are the ones who carry the burden of the affects of the virus. They have to deal with the loss of their loved ones, they have to now look after these children, and again they have to look after themselves because some are very old. I don’t think they have time to relax, laugh and enjoy life. By seeing them laughing, playing games, and sharing about the daily connection work they do at home, you can tell that they are reconnecting with life's joy.
One of our guardians whose name is Jeanette (68 years old), was at first very shy. She didn’t want to share anything or speak during class. But on the third day, when the guardians were sharing about together about their homework, she looked very happy. She shared her experience with a smile and even stood up and showed us what happened with her children at home and how she was feeling on the day. Since then, when we are playing a game she can’t even hold herself, even its not her turn to play she just jumps into the circle and play.
Working for Clowns Without Borders, makes me realize that there is still a lot to do - making those sad faces to smile and have fun, both adults and children.
- Sibongile Tsoanyane