| Mobile
Mini Circus for Children
Introduction:
MMCC, Mobile Mini Circus for Children, is an international non profit
NGO that has been working in Afghanistan since June 2002. The main
objective of MMCC is providing educational and informative entertainment
for children. This aim is achieved by identifying, training, and
applying the Afghan talents and potentials.
In spring 2006 a new Afghan-MMCC organization was established. The
local NGO is gradually taking over the responsibility for continuing
the activities as a pure Afghan project under the umbrella and supervision
of MMCC International.
Brief explanation about MMCC and how it
operates:
MMCC has a well trained team of 6 professional mobile Afghan senior
artists that perform and make workshops all over Afghanistan. The
mobile circus is equipped with props, animal costumes, puppets,
a mobile stage, sound system and music instruments. The artists
have been chosen through a number of auditions in Kabul. Since 2002
they are trained in theatre and circus performances and have within
their repertoire themes such as children’s rights, peace and
reconciliation, health issues, landmine awareness and social education.
Each performance lasts for approximately one and a half hour. The
mobile artists also conduct teacher training and workshops for children
in the provinces. The trainings and workshops introduce and assist
to implement creative educational methods in the local schools and
communities.
MMCC’s mobile artist’s has been performing
in orphanages, hospitals, street children centers, and schools in
Kabul as well as a large number of provinces since 2002. So fare
MMCC’s mobile performances and workshops have reached half
a million Afghan children in 16 provinces.
MMCC’s Culture House for Children:
Since November 2003 MMCC is running a Culture House for Children
in Karte-Se in Kabul. Besides being an active creative space for
children, the culture house is more than anything a laboratory for
new creative and cultural ideas to be developed in cooperation with
the children themselves. Ideas and concepts the mobile artists then
bring out to thousands of children all over the country as they
tour with their performances and workshops.
The Children’s own Circus:
The Children Culture House is also the base for MMCC’s 80-100
semi-professional junior artists. In the school season the children
artists perform at schools in Kabul on weekly bases. Like MMCC’s
mobile group of adult artists, the children’s performances
are a mix of traditional circus such as juggling, unicycling, acrobatic
etc plus one or more educational performance pieces. MMCC’s
very talented group of singing girls is an essential part of all
performances. In 2005 12 of the MMCC children artists performed
in Germany and Denmark for two month. In 2006 a new group is touring
Japan.
Support and Financing:
MMCC is financially covered by three income sources:
1) Donations and funds for specific projects and activities such
as staff training and capacity building; lunch for the children
and playground equipment among many other things
2) Sale of educational entertaining services such as performances,
teacher training workshops and workshops for children in the provinces
3) General contributions including individual donations and equipment
from a large network of friends in 15 countries all over the world
For more information please contact us by phone:
070-280140 / 070-229975 or e-mail: circus@afghanmmcc.org
David Mason and Berit Muhlhausen
Co-Directors
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