LE RIRE MÉDECIN
THE HEALING LAUGHTER
Nantes, France
DESCRIPTION
LE RIRE MÉDECIN – THE HEALING LAUGHTER IN NANTES
Created in 1991 by Caroline Simonds, the professional clowns of Le Rire Médecin perform in 70 peadiatric wards in France. A pioneer in France and in Europe, Le Rire Médecin’s interventions are recognised for the benefits they bring to children, but also to parents and nursing staff.
The project, which is implemented in the University Hospital in Nantes and supported by the Comgest Foundation, is twofold:
Maternity: Totally integrated into the care project, the performances of the comedian-clowns in the maternity ward, based mainly on humour, songs and music, aim to encourage the activity of the mother towards the baby, to bring comfort and to help create a link in order to avoid rejection or even abuse. It is also sometimes used to help create a link with the nursing teams and as an alternative means of communication (in particular for non-French speaking families)
Abused children Unit: The clowns work with very vulnerable babies and toddlers placed under judicial protection, without their parents present (abused children hospitalized in a room).
The programme may evolve to include the intervention of clowns in the waiting room of children summoned to hearings during the day as a means of helping free-up the children’s voices. For babies and children who have been victims of violence, the comedians will first come to reassure and create a bubble of comfort.
IMPACT / MAIN INDICATORS
Main indicators:
• Number of play days completed over 12 months
• Number of children and mothers visited
• Other qualitative indicators (interviews, assessments and observations)
LOCAL
PARTNER
Selection
Duration
Project selected in September 2022
Duration: 2 years
Financed
by
The Comgest Foundation
COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR
Grégoire Moreels
Several aspects of my life naturally led me to get involved with «Le Rire Médecin» (The Clown Doctors).
Firstly, I was regularly exposed to the hospital environment from a very young age, where I became aware of its extremes. It is a place of suffering, but also, and most importantly, a place where healing occurs, primarily on a physical level. A few years ago, I had the incredible chance of becoming a father of two wonderful and healthy children. However, a very close friend of mine did not have the same luck and had to fight alongside one of her sons to overcome a severe illness. During that time, she shared with me the invaluable help that her son and herself received through the whimsical interventions of the clowns from «Le Rire Médecin» in the hospital.
It seemed obvious to me, then, that I needed to dedicate some of my energy to this association. I organized a fundraising event by running the Paris halfmarathon, sporting a vibrant wig and a red nose! Furthermore, The Comgest Foundation provided me with a means to make an even more significant impact. Thanks to their support, «Le Rire Médecin» received funds that allowed for innovation in opening workshops to assist struggling mother-child couples, as well as children who have been victims of various forms of violence.