Walking through the dull and stagnant corridors of the hospital, the sense of sickness, lethargy, and monotony is overwhelming. In the wards lie ill and listless children, holed up in the hospital for weeks and months on end. Many of these children, some as young as two years old, are from families who live far from the hospital (some come from all across China) and cannot afford to take time off work to care for and keep their ill child company.
The hours run tediously together, day after day, procedure after procedure. In the midst of this bleak time, Magic Hospital, a not for profit organization in Beijing, are doing all they can to bring colour, fun, and laughter into the lives of these kids. In a whirl of stripes, pom-poms, red noses, and magic, Magic Hospital has been sending in the clowns to three Beijing children’s hospitals for 15 years, bringing giggles and excitement.
As we all know, laughter is the best medicine. For some of the children it is their first time seeing a clown or professional entertainer, and the children sit entranced, spell-bound by Mr Liu, Magic Hospital’s longest serving clown with the infectious giggle and awesome magic tricks. Clowns and Co is Magic Hospital’s main program, and they send professional clowns to three different hospitals in Beijing every week. Clare Holstein, one of the volunteers, says it is a fantastic way to ease the pain of the patients and break up the boredom that comes with long hospital stays. The clown performs in the ward for about 2.5 hours and does a craft in addition to the show.
In addition to the Clowns, Magic Hospital also has a program called ‘Abracadabra’, modeled after the Make-A-Wish Foundation. If funds allow, they hope to fulfill at least two children’s wishes this year. When the weather allows, Magic Hospital also organizes ‘Outdoorsy Day’ which are seasonal events for the kids and include field trips and mini-summer camps, entirely paid for by Magic Hospital for underprivileged kids.
Playtime also occurs every Saturday with a group of volunteers who visit the children’s ward and play and sing with the children. They love getting visitors and are happy to just play games and see new faces.
Magic Hospital is definitely doing something special here in Beijing, and while they are not short on programs or volunteers, they do need the funds to make it all happen. If you would like to donate, sponsor a field trip, or run any fundraising event, please contact www.magichospital.org.
Photo: magichospital.org
