"Before & Laughter"

Support our Crisis Response programme and help us spread more smiles to children who need it most. Together we make a difference!

Here is how

The ripple effect of laughter

In challenging environments—from conflict zones to displacement camps to rural schools—laughter may seem like a luxury. But at RED NOSES International, we know it’s a vital form of support.

Emergency Smile

The Emergency Smile (ES) programme was developed by RED NOSES International in 2013 to provide psychosocial support to people facing crisis through the art of clowning.

What we do

Our Emergency Smile team coordinates missions in which a group of international and specially trained clown artists, along with a Head of Mission, travel to crisis settings around the globe to provide psychosocial support.

With over 11 international locations, RED NOSES professional clown artists work locally with children in hospitals, older people, people with disabilities and other groups in need of psychosocial support.

However, there is a global need for joy, laughter, and hope. Particularly in crisis settings. These settings include natural disaster sites, refugee camps, and countries impacted by war. ES clowns undergo extensive training on how to work with and support vulnerable groups of people facing life altering circumstances. The figure of the clown can spread joy and laughter during even the darkest times. In laughter, there is hope.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US HERE

Lasting impact

Over the years, RED NOSES has worked in more than a dozen countries improving the mental health and wellbeing of vulnerable groups.

The Emergency Smile team work hard to develop the right type of support format for every mission based on the needs of the people they will encounter.

Along with the goal of providing psychosocial support to vulnerable people, ES missions also aim to make an impact that lasts, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge and positive emotions.

EMERGENCY SMILE BROCHURE

Emergency Smile Missions

Stories from the field

Stay updated with the most recent news, captivating stories, reports, and much more from our missions around the world

25.June 2026

Emergency Smile in Ukraine: April 2026

In April 2026, a team of three Emergency Smile clown artists brought their work to western Ukraine—reaching children and adults across a wide range of…

25.June 2026

Emergency Smile in France: March 2026

For the first time, Emergency Smile International brought its work to the North of France. Over three weeks, a team of three healthcare clown artists…

19.June 2026

What children on the move need: a conversation with Project Play

This World Refugee Day, as the world marks 75 years of the 1951 Refugee Convention under the theme 'Until everyone is safe', we find ourselves asking:…

03.May 2026

When 'good enough' is good enough: why play is serious business for humanitarian workers

You arrive. You assess. You lead. You support people in the worst moments of their lives—and you do it again tomorrow.

22.April 2026

#MeetTheArtist Marko Kalc

Meet Leopold, the slapstick ukulele-playing clown who trips on purpose, even when no one is watching. For Marko Kalc, clowning isn't about making…

27.March 2026

Mission report March 2026: Emergency Smile in Ukraine

Six months after our last visit to Ukraine, the Emergency Smile team returned to Zakarpattia. We did not travel just to put on a show. We came back to…

What our partners have to say...

The Red Nose Clowns have brought so much joy and laughter into the camp the past 7 weeks. During Circus Smile I saw kids gain confidence and feel empowered through the skills they were learning. I got to see kids that have been robbed of their childhood have a chance to just be kids again--they could let go of their worries and fears and just play. The clowns have made a lasting impact on the children of Mavrovouni Camp

Laura Rensberger
EuroRelief, Education and Activities Coordinator

Seeing smiles on children's faces is the strongest motivation for us. The clowns from RED NOSES gave colourful emotions not only to children, but also to their parents. They were no less passionate about the process than their children and completed the tasks with great interest. We are very pleased that the workshop with the Red Noses contributed to positive emotions and priceless memories.

Office Manager for Moldova for Peace

For the children in the Sedra camp, the lockdown and isolation was very difficult to handle, so the clown online sessions are something that really brings joy and brings childhood back to children. Even when it is over, you can see many children smiling and walking around the camp with the red noses on.
After every session, the children are asking when will they see the clowns again; they are really looking forward to having the sessions with RED NOSES.
The positive impact goes beyond the sessions, afterwards they are very cheerful it reflects on other activities they do… it really brings a lot of smiles in the camp.

Mrs. Dubravka Vranjanac
Emergency Response Team Leader for Save the Children in Sedra Camp, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Your assistance is an invaluable contribution to the development of psychosocial activities by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and certainly a tangible support in the dissemination of information about methods and forms of psychosocial support. Thanks to the received good expertise, the URCS will be able to achieve great results in improving the welfare of the beneficiaries affected by the crisis.

Mrs. Liliia Bilous
Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Director General

I can see that RED NOSES Clowns are working very professionally, bringing a positive feeling to the clinic and working in perfect connection with the medical staff. Thanks to their presence, we had no big dramas in the tents. It was a huge help!

Joyce Bakker
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Nurse activity manager

I saw RED NOSES during a MSF children's vaccination campaign in Moria Camp, Lesbos. They worked very attentively and consciously and they had a very good understanding of the situation and sensitivity towards the children. That was very pleasant and helpful for the work of the doctors.

Cordula Heffner
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Priming Medical Referent (PMR)

The clowns from Red Noses International brought laughter to patients and MSF staff alike. The value of this kind of visit for people’s wellbeing can’t be underestimated.

Edda Bambach
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Human Resources Coordinator for Sierra Leone

Facts & Figures

Years of experience

Countries of operation

Team members

Chiara Manavella

Head of Crisis Response Programme

E: chiara.manavella[at]rednoses.org

T: +431318031356