#RewindWithOIAA: Throwback With Clown Without Borders
Clown Without Borders International exists as 15 chapters in 40 countries. In the month of July last year, One In An ARMY collaborated with the organization to support their US chapter.
Laughter is the best medicine and CWB uses it to relieve suffering for people, especially children, who live in areas of crisis, including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency.
The team organizes artistic and humanitarian projects with the help of professional artist volunteers who lead workshops and share laughter with the community. CWB — USA responds to the unique psychosocial needs of each community, and designs flexible, culturally appropriate tours in close collaboration with their local partner organizations.
To support their work, 281 ARMY from 40+ countries raised $4,888 USD! The funds were used to establish digital workshops for children living in difficult circumstances in Ecuador.
As we revisit all the organizations we have worked with in the past 12 months for our third anniversary, we decided to ask them a few questions. Let’s check out what CWB has to say:
Updates On The Programs And New Developments
Yes! The biggest is that the project that One in An Army sponsored has led to a HUGE partnership with the Mines Advisory Group and Facebook. Your funding gave us the flexibility and support we needed to be creative! We continue to operate virtually, and are looking to return to in person programming as soon as possible.
Organization’s Fund Allocation Plan
The funds supported a project to make Public Safety Videos about the prevention of violence in Ecuador. One of the shadow impacts of the pandemic has been an increase in violence against women and children, specificially partner violence and sexual exploitation. The funds allowed us to create a campaign to address these HARD issues.
The success of this project launched a second campaign and a partnership with The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and Facebook. We are now working on a campaign to reach 9 Million people in Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, and Vietnam to prevent injuries from landmines and unexploded bombs.
A second project inspired by the ARMY funding is a project in Brazil, to make a web series about displacement.
The Impact Of Pandemic On The Organization’s Operations
We cancelled all of our typical programming and had to reinvent what we do. That has included virtual performances and tours, an online speaker series, and workshops. We are now starting to get the clowns vaccinated and researching how we can return to in person programming.
The Impact Of OIAA Campaign On The Organization
The ARMY campaign impacted CWB in three main ways.
Financial: ARMY’s campaign came during the pandemic, and we had cancelled on of our typical fundraisers. Raising $4000 from outside of our existing network made a huge impact on us.
Social Media: ARMY’s participation on social media, specifically Twitter, had a huge impact on us. It inspired us to host more Q&A style Facebook live sessions and also showed us the impact of Twitter. Our social media reach increased a huge amount in July, and we continue to see increased engagement, thanks to ARMY. ARMY modelled how to create a truly fun and engaging campaign, and also an online community.
Inspiration: The campaign was our first experience doing a “Micro Campaign.” We were so excited to see the tremendous impact of ARMY. The team created so many fun games and ways for the ARMY to connect to CWB’s mission. We are now following your lead and making our own “kindness bingo.”
Do You Know BTS?
My younger sister is in ARMY, and so I knew about BTS through her. I now listen to the music (currently listening to BE). I am so inspired by BTS’ generosity, and the generosity they inspire. ARMY is truly one of the most impactful grassroots organizations I have encountered.
Support Clown Without Borders For OIAA’s Third Anniversary
- Visit the donation page created for the organization or scan the QR code on CWB’s poster
Donation Page Link: https://clownswithoutborders.org/donate-clowns-without-borders/
- Donate any amount (a minimum of $1)
- Take a screenshot and submit it on our tracking form (hide any personal information).
- Share the campaign with your friends and family.
Follow the instructions and updates about our Throwback Campaign here.
We are completely aware that not everyone is able to contribute through a monetary donation, but your support, in any form, is significant to our campaign. For example, you can share our SNS posts to help increase the reach and visibility of the org amongst your followers. Find us on social media here: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and Amino.
