Clowns without borders bring fun, laughter to Philippine street kids

A troup of European performance artists on Friday treated street children in the Philippine capital to a free show as part of a campaign to promote children’s rights.

The performers from Clowns Without Borders also played with children at a basketball court in a slum village in Manila while a band played.

“We want to bring a little moment of fun and joy for the children, a way of forgetting their hard way of life,” said Isabel Martini, a member of Clowns Without Borders.

Martini said Clowns Without Borders was working with several local non-governmental organizations that help street children and slum families with their basic needs such as food, shelter and education.

The team, made up of clowns and other performance artists from France, Germany and Spain, arrived last week to mark the International Day of Children’s Rights on November 20.

Wilmar Dela Rosa, an officer in charge at the children right’s center Kanlungan, one of the organizers of the show, said the Clowns Without Borders members also held art and music workshops.

“Their main goal is to make the children happy,” he said. “They also shared their talents in arts and music through various workshops.”