Clowns are the richest people in the world; they earn thousands of smiles in their lifetime. ~ Unknown author

RED NOSES International visited the Reintegration Center run by NGO Atina, and then they delighted children from Ukraine at the Asylum Center in Vranje. The visit was realized in the period April 21-25, 2022 with the support of Save the Children North West Balkans.

The Red Noses team visited Serbia in April this year, and spent the day socializing with children and youth at Atina’s Reintegration Center. Above all, children enjoyed the clown show with great music and unique costumes, games and secret tricks. The Red Noses also held a workshop with Atina's team dedicated to wellbeing, showing exercises and tricks that can bring laughter and joy into the daily work rhythm, when the driving energy runs out.

The traveling group also visited the Asylum Center in Vranje, where families from Ukraine are accommodated. With their energy, music and performance, they brought smiles to everyone’s faces. Fifteen children and their families attended the performance. A well-coordinated team formed a space to perform their acts, while the rest of the crew, together with the musical parade, did their best to invite everyone to join the workshop. Children enjoyed spending time with the clowns while parents and grandparents joined the parade and watched a real circus performance. After the amazing performance for the children, RED NOSES team was even more motivated and returned to spend time with the center's employees. They held a presentation of various skills, which were later tried out by the children and adults accommodated in the center, as well as the employees. Certainly, the children were far more successful than the adults. Everyone enjoyed the atmosphere throughout the day, they were very hospitable, and conveyed all their impressions and observations to the family that remained in Ukraine.

A day with the clowns brought smiles on everyone’s faces. This confirmed how important it is to have such moments of relaxation, laughter and positive energy in situations of crisis and difficult life periods.

Red Noses is an international arts organization whose mission is to bring laughter and joy to those who have lost the will to smile, or feel they have no reason to be happy. Believing in the beauty of human emotions, their mission is to rediscover moments of happiness for people, especially in moments of crises and great challenges. They are dedicated to creating a more humane and healthier world. Using the artistic philosophy of clowns they are reconnecting others with joy, happiness and optimism. Their attitude is that a healthy society knows how to play and laugh, and people in it are interconnected. The focus of the global RED NOSES movement is to encourage more joy and happiness in the world. They are particularly dedicated to working with children in hospitals and with the elderly, and they also founded a special program called "Emergency smile" for children on the move. Within that program, they visit asylum centers throughout Europe and hold performances and creative workshops for children and youth. Their team consists of professionals from different countries, and different professions, who are united by a common mission to bring joy and laughter into children's lives.

Thank you RED NOSES team, it was a pleasure spending time with you!