Send in the Clowns!
For the month of March 2013, OSM founder-by-proxy, monkey muse and operative Alice Nelson was on expedition in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Alice is a Master clown ( she actually has a Masters degree in clowning! How cool is that?!) and travelled to SA to share her skill and clown mastery with Clowns Without Borders South Africa to create a touring show. Proceeds and Donations from 2012 OSM Holiday craft sales and Monkeys 4 Max helped Alice achieve her fundraising goals and OSM is thrilled to have been able to support the important work of such a talented artist and humanitarian.
After approximately one week of creation, she and the clowns hit the road, travelling to remote and rural areas on the very tip of the African continent, bringing joy & laughter to 8000+ children , performing 16 shows in communities affected by HIV/AIDS. Alice kept a journal of her expedition and adventures, check it out for an inspiring and hilarious read.
She also acted as an OSM Operative on this mission, chaperoneing a batch of approx 50 sock monkeys to South Africa in her suitcase to be used in the Sinovuyo Caring Families program with CWBSA. Monkey chaperone is no easy task and OSM is eternally grateful to Alice for the inspiration, support and access she has given to the project over the years. Here’s to many more expeditions and millions more smiles!
