Rome, Bambin Gesù – Clowns in the ward thanks to Dottor Sorriso

For a child in hospital it is difficult to conserve serenity, imagination e desire to play.
La clowntherapy is a professional activity that complements traditional care, helping to rebuild, through the smile, child’s defenses in the face of trauma of hospitalization. Laughing, in fact, not only affects the psychological state of patients but also strengthens their ability to cope with the disease by speeding up the healing process.

Dottor Sorriso ONLUS was the first foundation to bring clowntherapy to Italy, now more than 20 years ago, and today it gives a smile to 30.000 children each year in 29 pediatric departments of hospitals and rehabilitation institutions throughout Italy, mainly oncology and long-stay.

Every week Doctor Smile gives young patients the cheerful visit of his clown-doctors who, with one joke, a game, a magic, accompany children during the hospitalization period, wringing a laugh out of them and helping them to Escape from sadness and fear.

To enable the non-profit organization to continue this valuable work, from September 1 to October 2, 2017, awareness campaign is active and fundraising The magic of a smile, with solidarity number 45513. Sending a text message you can donate 2 euros, calling from a landline 5 or 10 euros.

With the funds raised thanks to the campaign you can help Dottor Sorriso ONLUS ensure the constant presence (once a week) Of two clown-doctors in 6 oncology and long-term care wards and in 3 rehabilitation institutions which houses children with severe intellectual and motor disabilities located throughout Italy.

Among the facilities involved is the Pediatric Surgery of theBambin Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome. Also involved in the campaign are the departments Oncohematology and Pediatric Surgery – Policlinico di Modena; Pediatric Oncology and Pediatrics – Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza “Padre Pio” in San Giovanni Rotondo; Pediatrics – ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda of Milan; Pediatric Cardiac Surgery – Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria “Federico II” of Naples; and the institutes Sacra Famiglia of Cesano Boscone; Eugenio Medea – La Nostra Famiglia Association of Bosisio Parini; S. Maria Nascente – Don Gnocchi Foundation of Milan.

Dr. Smile’s clown-doctors are all over 65 (25 professional clowns specially trained to work in such sensitive settings and 40 volunteer clowns trained by the foundation’s experts). Their visit is a much-awaited appointment for young patients, often annihilated not only by the concern, but also from the monotony and theinability to get out; their intervention produces positive effects in the children and all the people involved in the therapeutic process. Seeing their children smiling and distracted, in fact, relieves the worry and sense of helplessness of the parents and, at the same time, enables the medical staff To operate with greater peace of mind.

The continuity of the visits is essential to the validity of the service, because it allows a confidential relationship, friendship and complicity to be established between the children and the clown-doctor.

This year The magic of a smile can count on the valuable support of the hilarious morning radio show All crazy for RDS and its presenter Rossella Brescia, testimonial of Dottor Sorriso for the past 4 years, who will engage listeners on the initiative with games and moments of insight.

The campaign also has the sponsorship of Advertising Progress.

Solidarity number: 45513

Period September 1-October 2, 2017

Value of Donation:

2-euro SMS with Wind Tre, TIM, Vodafone, PosteMobile, Coop Voce and Tiscali

Call from landline 5 euros with TWT, Convergenze and PosteMobile

Call from landline 5/10 euros with TIM, Wind Tre, Fastweb, Tiscali

Dottor Sorriso Onlus Foundation

It was founded in 1995 with the mission to make the hospitalization of children in the hospital, through the clown therapy.

Thanks to the support of private citizens, businesses and institutions, the Foundation carries out its mission by making use of the following professional clowns, who carry out their activities within health care facilities and rehabilitation institutions, in close collaboration with medical staff. Dottor Sorriso clowns operate today in 29 pediatric wards by 18 hospitals, in 3 rehabilitation institutions and one polyclinic, bringing smiles to more than 30.000 children every year. First in our country, the Foundation has been credited with introducing clowntherapy even in rehabilitation institutions, to bring smiles to children suffering from physical and mental disabilities, chronic and degenerative diseases.

At the same time, in recent years, the Foundation has carried out a series of international projects, in support of other agencies working in distressed or emergency settings, such as Macedonia, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Romania, India, Palestine and Burkina Faso.