Clowns bring smile to Syrian children

Syrian children at a refugee camp in Jordan got a surprise when they were treated to a performance by a group of clowns.

They are part of the humanitarian organisation Clowns Without Borders, that works with children affected by war and violence.

“We can see, we can feel they live in a hard situation, far away from their homes, and for us it’s really, really good to make the show and see them laughing, at least for a while, and forget the bad things of the war at least for a little time,” said Spanish clown Moises Queralt.

Some 60 children watched the performance. Among them was Rana Ziad, who arrived at the camp with her parents and six siblings a year ago from Daraa.

“We had a great time today, we feel very, very happy. We are sad because we are far away from our home, but when the clowns come here they made us happy,” she said.

Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp opened in June 2012. It is jointly run by the United Nations and the Jordanian government, and is home to more than 120 000 Syrian refugees. Nearly half of those living in the camp are children.