Check out our April 20-28 tour in the Bay Area of the United States!

Group holding hands Group holding hands

Our Impact

What difference can a clown make? Well, ask yourself this: What’s the value of a moment of laughter?

And how would your answer change for a child who has been displaced, has lived through war, or has survived environmental disaster?

25,000

lives changed

each year, including our audience members, artists, and partners

56

hours

of workshops given for artists, first responders, and aid workers

28

years

of culturally appropriate performances for displaced people

43%

of our performers

share the audience’s culture or language

50+

artists

touring and performing worldwide with us every year

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Clown posing with kids
Kid balancing ball
People playing drums

But There's More to Impact Than Numbers!

Let’s go back to that question: the value of laughter. 

For some, laughter is a fleeting drop in a sea of happiness. For others, it’s something more: a beacon of hope, a touchstone, a happy memory that they can revisit day after day, year after year.  It might be the only happy memory they have to hold onto.

As we clowns believe, laughter is a human right. And the value of defending that right is priceless.

Our mission is to make sure that all children — especially those surviving the hardest conditions of displacement, natural disaster, and war — are able to access the right to laugh and play.

Our impact is measured in...
  • Laughs
  • Hopeful smiles
  • Happy memories
  • Surprises
  • High-fives
  • Parades
  • Hugs
  • Kids on stage
  • Tears of joy (and other emotions!)

Group of kids with face paint

Until today, I hadn’t seen my child laugh since we left Syria.

Mother Lesvos, Greece
Clown clasping hands with adult

I had forgotten what it meant to be happy. You guys gave that back to me.

UNHCR Field Officer Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya
Group sitting on innertube

I almost died last night. I deserve to laugh today.

Syrian Refugee Lesvos Greece

CWB sets a great example about the impact professional artists can have on the world. It is amazing to see the high quality of performances they produce.

Professional with expertise in this field
Kids and adults forming a conga line

Can you stay with us a little longer? We want to play hide and seek.

Ukraine girls in Romania 2022

We Build Resilience Through Laughter

Group of kids with clown noses

As performance artists, we aren’t giving people food, medicine, or housing, and we certainly aren’t solving crises. What we ARE doing is bringing to our audiences laughter, play, and proof that they matter.

We may be creating small moments of joy, but the impact is so much larger — larger even than our giant clown shoes!

“It may seem that the importance of laughter is harder to quantify than serving meals or blankets. However, laughter is a measure of healing because it represents the ability to access and draw strength from the part of us that is resilient in the face of trauma.”

– Naomi Shafer, Executive Director

Clown and kid posing
Spread Joy icon

Your impact + our impact = laughs all around!

For just $11, you could sponsor one displaced child to attend a Clowns Without Borders show. Or become a Joymaker to give laughter monthly!