Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. 75% of the population lives below the poverty line. Children are the first to be affected by this plague.
In order to support themselves, children are often forced to work. According to UNICEF, a quarter of Malagasy children aged 5 to 17 work to help their families. The rate of school drop-out in the country is also alarming. Only 66% of children finish primary school and 15% of children have never been to school.
This context promotes the phenomenon of street children and the risks to which they are exposed, such as child delinquency.
Consequently, according to the association Grandir Dignement, 850 minors aged 9 to 18 years are currently incarcerated in 38 Central Houses and 2 Penitentiary Rehabilitation Centres.
In 2019, Clowns Sans Frontières (CSF) is working with these children in a state of deprivation of their liberty.
Through shows and artistic workshops with its local partners, CSF raises awareness of the benefits of the artistic approach and provides psychosocial support.
For 19 years, CSF has been an artistic and humanitarian NGO that, through laughter and entertainment, offers moral and emotional support to children who are victims of humanitarian crises or in situations of great precariousness.
Thanks to their actions that combine clown, music, acrobatics, puppets or theatre, the CSF’s clowns make it possible to lighten children’s daily lives through a moment of sharing, laughter and evasion.
To discover the latest interventions carried out by CSF and meet its clowns, visit the Cirque Electrique in Paris on November 13, 2019.