Doktor Kloun (Dr. Clown)

Who we are and what we do?

Dr. Clown makes children happy at the hospital!

Doktor Kloun’s goal is:

  • bring joy to children, their families, friends and carers and reduce their worries.
  • help children to forget about their illnesses and other difficulties for a while and give them the power to laugh and play. 
  • remind children’s families and friends that every child has a healthy side that also needs attention, and the best way to do that is to laugh and play.
  • give hospital staff the opportunity to focus on the brighter side of their work.
  • provide a caring playmate and friend for long-term sick children.

The aim is to lift the mood of children at the hospital
Dr. Clowns have been visiting children every week since June 2007 in the 6 departments of Tallinn Children’s Hospital and since September 2008 in the Children’s Clinic of the University of Tartu Hospital, as well as in the Department of Pediatric Surgery and Oncology-Hematology of Maarjamõisa Hospital. Since May 2013, Doctor Clowns have been visiting children at the Narva Hospital every week.

Dr. Clown makes being in the hospital easier
The time devoted to children by Dr. Clowns is not measured, but it is a the response to each child’s wishes. Children who have been in the hospital for a long time have gained a trusted friend and playmate in the form of Doctor Clown. Dr. Clowns share tenderness and attention, take the child into a world of play and foolishness, and allow them to see the hospital environment as a happier place.

Dr. Clown doesn’t reach all the children yet
From when we started until today, more than 20,000 children in sick-beds have become happier thanks to the visits of the Doctor Clowns. 12,000 children are treated annually at Tallinn Children’s Hospital, 4,000 children in Tartu, and 1,500 children at Narva Hospital. The ideal of the Dr. Clowns’ weekly visits would be to meet all the children at the hospital, prescribe them with laughter pills and gift them a healing good mood.

The organization works thanks to support and donations
Doktor Kloun non-profit operates thanks to the support of individuals and companies. So far, neither the Tallinn Children’s Hospital Support Fund nor the Tartu Children’s Fund has supported the activities of hospital clowns, who are mistakenly thought to be Dr. Clown’s supporters. We are therefore grateful for any help.