New actions in Lebanon and Colombia to treat PTSD in children

The project, which goes by the name of "Fem Riure, Fem Futur" [Creating Laughter, Creating Future], is based on the combination of Teaching Recovery Technics (TRT) therapies and on the comicality of clowns. It is considered to be of vital importance to care for the emotional health of boys and girls who have experienced a traumatic situation with the aim of guaranteeing their scholarly education and thus providing them with a better future. The project will take place in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon with Syrian refugee children, and in Quibdó, Colombia, where the focus will be children affected by armed conflicts, refugees from Venezuela, and children in situations of extreme vulnerability.

These psychological support sessions are based on TRT methodologies, techniques created by the Children and War Foundation in 1997, which aim to provide children suffering from severe trauma strategies to help them identify their reactions and control them with the aim of improving their emotional state. Thus, the children first attend circus performances at their schools and, a few days later, receive psychological support with the help of their teachers, who previously had received training in TRT techniques from professionals at the UTCCB.

In 2017, both entities conducted an impact assessment to demonstrate the positive results of these two therapies (individually and combined) in reducing the effects of post traumatic stress in Syrian refugee children. It was shown that the actions of Clowns Without Borders (with and without the use of TRTs) had a highly positive effect on the emotional state and behavioural disturbances of the children. Moreover, the children attending the performances showed significantly to improve in the number of symptoms related to post traumatic stress, such as avoidance and socialisation and behavioural problems. The combination of the two therapies (TRTs and clowns) yielded even more positive results.

In Lebanon, the acitivities will take place in schools of the Beqaa Valley region, in the eastern part of the country, very near the border with Syria. A large number of refugees live in this area, fleeing from the war in Syria, and are now living in extremely vulnerable conditions, without many of the basic rights. The performances will be conducted from 15 January to 4 February and will include the artists Xicana (Anna Montserrat), Miner (Minervino Montell) and Cirquet Confetti (Anna Alavedra). The TRT sessions will take place from 22 January to 20 February at the schools coordinated by local professionals from the Kayany Foundation. The project includes the economic support of the Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation. The same joint initiative will be organised in Lebanon two more times, in the spring and autumn of 2022.

In Colombia, Clowns without Borders will be performing in the town of Quibdó. Historically, the Chocó Department, to which Quibdó pertains, has been one of the areas most affected by armed conflict and social inequalities, with a strong presence of paramilitary organisations and armed groups.  Many refugees arriving from Venezuela in recent years, and the current pandemic, have caused additional strife among the region's inhabitants. The performances by Clowns Without Borders will take place from 21 January to 9 February and will include the artists Lola Mento (Beatriz Garrido), Peter Punk (Isaac Rodríguez), Pau Segalés and Antonio Delgado. The TRT sessions will take place from the end of January to mid-March at the schools coordinated by local professionals from UNHRC Colombia (UN Human Rights Council). The project also includes the economic support of the Nous Cims Foundation, and this joint initiative will be offered two more times as well, in the spring and autumn of 2022.