CWBSA joins ISS Africa webinar on using technology to prevent violence against children
In August 2025, Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) participated in an Institute for Security Studies (ISS) webinar titled Using the Power of Technology to Prevent Violence Against Children. The session brought together leading organisations developing digital solutions that strengthen families, support parents, and reduce violence against children in low-resource settings. Representing CWBSA, Anna Booij, […]
Unicef Power of Play
ABOVE: Unicef Power of Play performance team and local child beneficiaries signing their “Pledge to Play” in the North-West Province Funded by UNICEF through the LEGO Foundation, CWBSA’s Power of Play 2.0 campaign (May–June 2025) reached six South African provinces—North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal—promoting culturally resonant, play-based learning to strengthen […]
International Day for Families Cape Town
CWBSA was invited to be part of the Civil Society Organisations that were consulted by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG). About 30 Organisations were invited across South Africa. The meeting was about a consultation with the CSO on the commitments made by the South Africa at the Bogota Inter-Ministerial Conference in […]
Positive pilot outcomes among parents who use drugs
The Sibambisene Parenting Programme for Parents Who Use Drugs has completed its first pilot phase with encouraging results. Co-created by Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) and NACOSA, the 10-session group programme was rolled out across eight partner organisations in four provinces – Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape – between January 2024 and […]
CWBSA presents at SVRI Forum 2024: Strengthening Parenting Programmes to Reduce Family Violence
In November 2024, Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) participated in the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum in Cape Town – the world’s leading conference dedicated to research and innovation in preventing violence against women and children. CWBSA’s Head of Content Solutions, Anna Booij, co-presented alongside Natalie Davidson from the University of Cape Town, […]
SAPPIN Families Indaba 2023
The SAPPIN Families Indaba saw a host of delegates descending upon Community House, Salt River. This event brought policymakers, government, businesses, civil society organisations, researchers, and funders together to bring about innovative change in Parenting Programmes in South Africa. The overarching theme of the 2023 SAPPIN Families Indaba was “How support for families can inspire […]
Cyclone Hits Beira Again
by Suzan Eriksson | Feb 5, 2021 ‘Having experienced the tail end of Cyclone Eloise here in Eswatini, I have even more compassion for the communities we worked with in Mozambique. Getting knocked down again even though they were still finding their feet after Idai. In the space of 24 hours, the river by our house turned from a 3m […]
Playful parenting in a pandemic: Preventing violence against children
By Kufre Okop, Catherine L Ward, Lucie Cluver and Suzan Eriksson Parenting is tough enough at the best of times – after all, children don’t come with instruction manuals – but how much tougher during a pandemic lockdown? When neither parents nor children can get out of the house, it’s a difficult situation for everyone. This […]
Clowns Without Borders: Helping kids in crisis to just be kids again
Paula Luckhoff Suzan Eriksson (CWB SA) talks about using laughter and play to help the children and communities who need it most.“Our motto is Children Being Children again” The non-profit Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWB SA) is part of a global network providing emotional relief for kids in crisis through laughter and play. They […]
Listen to PLH Tips on SABC’s Sikhaba iCOvid 19 programme -15th of September
by Suzan Eriksson | Sep 11, 2020 5 artists will be recording Parenting for Lifelong tips for 14 SABC https://www.sabc.co.za/sabc/radio/ radio stations and 40 community radio stations. The tips have been developed by the collaborative emergency response COVID 19 parenting programme https://www.covid19parenting.com/#/home that CWBSA has been involved in over the last 4 months. This will be the first opportunity to reach out […]
Time of Innovation
by Suzan Eriksson | Sep 11, 2020 The work at Clowns Without Borders South Africa has advanced in leaps and bounds throughout 2020, even though many projects and all travel came to a standstill in March. We experienced a similar COVID19 lockdown as many other countries around the world and put in place procedures and policies to ensure […]
Learning, Libraries and Laughter – how does that work?
09 March 2020 Children learn best when they are happy. This is why Nal’ibali, South Africa’s reading-for-enjoyment-campaign, and Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) have partnered for the second year in a row to tour their libraries roadshow aimed at building literacy bridges between schools and libraries. The tour includes a theatre performance based on […]
Bem – Vindo!
by Suzan Eriksson | Dec 12, 2019 We spent 3 weeks in Mozambique performing and facilitating workshops for children, animators, and community members with CWB UK and Companhia De Artes Makwerhu. Our partners, PLAN International and AJOGA showed us around Buzi District where we met with children, parents and caregivers in 9 child-friendly spaces.This was one of […]
CWBSA Leadership Transition
by Suzan Eriksson | Nov 13, 2019 Dear Friends, Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) is excited to announce a leadership transition for our organisation. After 15 years of successfully leading CWBSA, Jamie Lachman has decided to step down as executive director to pursue his academic career at the University of Oxford on a full-time basis. We […]
How can positive parenting help in areas where gang violence is prevalent?
Feedback From A Facilitator! By Eugenie Probst A partner of CWBSA implementing the Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) Teens programme in Cape Town is the Manenberg People’s Centre (MPC). The Centre offers different programmes for the community. On a daily basis, the community feeding reaches over 200 people plus 68 people who are part of […]
Reflections from a positive yet fragile peace-building process
Promoting Peace through Play By Jayne Batzofin An’na yawu ini – We are here Arriving in Juba, South Sudan, for the first time, I immediately noticed the smell in the air – a sweet smell of red earth perfuming the area. The next noticeable feature were the broad smiles from officials welcoming us to Juba, […]
Cyclone Response – Zimbabwe 2019
by Suzan Eriksson | Oct 30, 2019 Winds of more than 200 kilometres an hour hit Zimbabwe on 15 of March 2019, bringing tonnes of water to the Manicaland Province. Cyclone Idai was the strongest recorded cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere. The storm wiped out roads, bridges, and dams as it swept through Southeast Africa. More than 100,000 […]
Reflections from a positive yet fragile peace-building process
Promoting Peace through Play By Jayne Batzofin | Oct 30, 2019 An’na yawu ini – We are here Arriving in Juba, South Sudan, for the first time, I immediately noticed the smell in the air – a sweet smell of red earth perfuming the area. The next noticeable feature were the broad smiles from […]
Performances and Parenting Galore in Cape Town!
by Suzan Eriksson | Aug 16, 2019 It has been an inspirational two weeks in Cape Town. CWBSA has combined its artistic interventions and Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) for the first time. We continue our PLH work with local non-profit organisations, as well as welcoming two new organisations into the family, thanks to our partnership with […]
New Parenting for Lifelong Health trainers!
by Suzan Eriksson | Jun 28, 2019 CWBSA organised a successful workshop for new PLH trainers in Durban, June 2019. After assessments are completed, 2 participants will be invited to join the team. Please find feedback from two of the participants: “We are Ricky and Mhinti Pato, founders of the Sakhisizwe Youth Development Programme with many years […]
ACTION: Send Laughter to the Children of Mozambique and Zimbabwe!
by Suzan Eriksson | Jun 19, 2019 After Cyclones Idai and Kenneth hit Southern Africa in March 2019, more than 3 million people need humanitarian assistance, mainly children and women. The recent UN mission concluded that psychosocial support to address trauma is a key priority. https://reliefweb.int/report/mozambique/deputy-humanitarian-chief-concludes-visit-countries-affected-cyclone-idai-and Clowns Without Borders South Africa’s unique approach of humanitarian clowning, physical theatre […]
Lego Foundation – Unlocking the Power of Parenting
by Suzan Eriksson | Apr 9, 2019 Executive Director, Jamie Lachman, was at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, this week for the annual LEGO® ideas conference. The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Unlocking the Power of Parenting’ and Jamie was invited to contribute to the closing ‘playnary’ along with Ziauddin Yousafzi from the Malala Fund. […]
Theatre, play and comedy can encourage a love of reading
15 March 2019 By Jayne Batzofin and Suzan Eriksson The performing arts have always had a difficult time proving their value in an education system that prioritises maths and science. Too few studies have been done to prove their benefits, such as building children’s imaginations, vocabularies and language skills. When Clowns Without Borders South Africa — an artist-led […]
30 000 Children Reached Through Literacy Campaign with Nal’iBali
by Suzan Eriksson | Mar 12, 2019 30 000 children have been reached in schools and libraries around KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo provinces in South Africa. The 3 artist team of Gavin Stockden, Sussie Mjawaru and Mr Fish have been causing a sensation with the energetic Nal’ibali teams throughout the reading for enjoyment campaign. […]
Nal’ibali teams up with Clowns Without Borders SA
Nal’ibali, the reading-for-enjoyment campaign, has teamed up with Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) to produce a series of literacy-focused shows 04 March 2019 By Nal’ibili Libraries across South Africa will be the scenes of a new community activation in 2019. Nal’ibali, the reading for enjoyment campaign, has teamed up with Clowns Without Borders South Africa to […]