At a refugee centre in a village close to Dnipro, Ukraine, hospital clown Jan Tomasz Rogala and his crew are utilizing the instruments of their commerce – massive pink noses, painted-on eyebrows, humorous dancing and magic tips – to make displaced kids chuckle. Yesterday morning a mom instructed Jan that the clowning had helped her nine-year-old daughter, who had been having panic assaults since arriving there from their bomb-strewn house of Kharkiv.
Jan, who’s Polish and moved to Ukraine 15 years in the past along with his household, had been clowning in hospitals right here and there earlier than realising how a lot good it may do for unwell kids, but in addition for his or her burdened dad and mom. He arrange a non-profit hospital clown coaching programme, as half of a bigger Ukrainian charity, which meant that he and a brand new cohort of clowns may go day by day to hospitals throughout Dnipro, the place they turned such acquainted faces that they got a particular room to retailer their costumes and props.
Then two weeks in the past, every part modified. As a substitute of fleeing to his native Poland, Jan, his colleagues, family and friends have been driving his clown van and hiring buses to hold out rescue missions.
They choose up unwell kids, their households, kids in orphanages, the disabled and the aged from invaded cities reminiscent of Kharkiv and Donbas, and produce them again to Dnipro, which has up to now been comparatively protected. “In Dnipro meals is scarce and assets are restricted,” he says. “However we’ve got no bombing or capturing but. However we’re surrounded by the warfare 200km [124 miles] from three sides, so folks don’t wish to keep right here for lengthy.”
He brings them to an old-fashioned constructing, which he used as a refugee centre in 2014 through the Maidan revolution, the place groups of volunteers are serving to households whereas they wait and pray for transport to get additional West, or to Poland, which he says “is the dream”.
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Whereas adults on the centre grapple with the logistics of getting safely out of their war-torn homeland, the youngsters are entertained by Jan’s cohort of clowns and magicians. Jan, who clowns for the youngsters within the moments when he’s not on rescue missions, exhibits i across the refugee centre over Zoom. There are lots of of individuals right here, some staying just some days, others longer. Beds are specified by lecture rooms, and a bit boy walks previous Jan sporting a humorous hat and tells Jan with a smile that he has simply been doing balloon tips with the magician.
“It’s so lovely to see the children chuckle,” he says. “It’s simply discovering some pleasure for them, and it’s so particular for the dad and mom to see their kids really feel joyful in a nightmare state of affairs like this.”
For a lot of the day Jan is driving to harmful cities and cities to fetch folks in want. “That is about saving lives,” he says. “I checked out my spouse when the assaults started and we agreed we are able to’t depart for Poland, we’ve got to remain right here. We begin at 6am and get house round 8pm, and I’m scared in these cities once I hear explosions however the folks we’re selecting up have spent seven straight days in bomb shelters with 70 folks with usually no electrical energy, it’s loopy.”
The youngsters give him power and hope, however each evening he will get house and feels as if he’s obtained no power left to offer. “I come house round curfew time and we’ve got to show off all lights due to potential bombings, so I’m on this darkish home after being out for 14 hours and I have a look at my laptop and 100,000 messages to reply and all I wish to do is fall asleep. It’s all so heartbreaking, every single day assembly folks with tears of their eyes.”
It’s virtually lunchtime on the centre. Tables are arrange, with vats of soup able to go, little bowls and spoons laid out. Jan at all times knew the facility of creating kids chuckle after they’re distressed, however this warfare is bringing that house in ways in which make him emotional.
“To see how a lot they benefit from the video games and enjoyable even when their lives have been ripped aside within the house of two weeks is tough to speak about with out having tears in my eyes.”
An exhausted Jan walks right into a room the place a girl in a prime hat and a inexperienced wig is doing magic tips to a gaggle of kids. “See how resilient kids can be after they should be?” Jan asks.