www.AfghanMMCC.org

What is Mobile Mini Circus for Children?

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.

Since 2003 MMCC’s educational entertaining performances, workshops and teacher trainings have successfully reached more than half a million children and teachers in 16 provinces in Afghanistan. New creative educational teaching methods are constantly being developed in MMCC’s Children Culture House that is also the base for 80-100 well trained MMCC-junior artists performing in Kabul and abroad.

Contact: Berit Muhlhausen & David Mason, Co-DirectorsE-mail: Circus@AfghanMMCC.org - Skype name: AfghanMMCCPhone: +93-(0)70-229975 / +93-(0)70-280140

Organizational structureMMCC is an international NGO, registered in Afghanistan. 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 that is at the same time expanding to more countries.

All MMCC’s activities in Afghanistan are run by 13-15 well trained and enthusiastic local Afghan staff supervised by Berit Muhlhausen and David Mason (founder), who initiated and continues to develop the circus project.

The oldest children at MMCC’s Children Culture House take part of training and organizing the new and youngest children in a number of activities such as painting, juggling and acrobatic.

MMCC’s Children Culture House is the base for all activities

Since November 2003 MMCC is running a Culture House for Children in Karte-Se in Kabul. In the school season from April to November 120 children get daily circus training in the centre. In the winter the number of children is increased to 350 of whom the most talented are invited to become part of the circus activities in the next season.

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 to thousands of children all over the country as they tour with their performances and workshops.

Winter program and Children Radio

In the winter MMCC run a three month program for 350 children. The program consist of 40 different classes with subjects from theatre, singing, circus, painting, calligraphy and acrobatic to Pashto, Quran and English among many others.

MMCC also have a very active group of children journalists who are making high quality children radio programs. The radio programs are developed in close interaction with all children in the Children Culture House who help to improve the quality with feedback and new ideas.

MMCC’s talented children artists perform in Kabul

MMCC have 80 talented children artists, who get training on daily bases in the MMCC-center in Karte-Se. In the school season the children 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 performed in Japan.

Financial structure

MMCC’s total annual budget is roughly 200,000 USD, or ten million Afghanis. The budget is covered by three income sources:

1) Donations and funds for specific projects and activities such as lunch for the children, playground equipment and capacity building etc

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

Mobile educational performances in the provinces

MMCC has a well trained team of 6 professional mobile Afghan senior artists that perform and make workshops all over Afghanistan.

Since 2003 the mobile artists have performed for more than half a million children in 16 provinces. All performances include one or two educational performance pieces about themes such as peace and reconciliation, health issues, landmine awareness and social education.

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.

Teacher training in creative educational methods

MMCC offers training for teachers in the use of creative teaching methods.

During the workshop the teachers practically work with a number of activities such as enlargement techniques, painting and drawing, making 3-dimensional models in clay, papier-mâché and foam plus word games etc. Traditional school subjects such as geography, biology, Dari, Pashto and timelines for teaching Afghanistan’s history are utilized as themes for the workshops.

All activities in the teacher trainings are developed in close interaction with children in MMCC’s Children Culture House.

MMCC activities in Bamyan

In 2006 MMCC conducted a number of initial activities and workshops as part of plans for establishing a permanent base for cultural educational activities in Bamyan city.

The long term aim is to utilize the Bamyan project as a base for providing children and teachers of the entire region with joy, fun and education through creative methods of teaching and learning.

The local community’s support is essential for a successful project. In order to build up a local network and ensure a positive interest to the new activities, MMCC continues to visit Bamyan on regular bases. Local staff for the project will be trained in MMCC’s centre in Kabul and continuously be supervised by MMCC’s mobile adult artists.

Focus on disabled children

In 2006 MMCC have started a project to integrate disabled children. The overall aim is to develop creative and educational methods that will enable disabled children to participate on equal bases with other children in MMCC’s performances as well as all other activities.

Part of the project focuses on developing of new methods that will be utilized for making workshops for teachers and organizations working with disabled children.

The disabled project is being developed in close interaction with the disabled children themselves. The most talented of the children are gradually becoming part of MMCC’s junior circus. The long term goal is that the children’s performances will thereby help to create a positive image of disabled children’s capacities and resources.

MMCC’s Super Mini Kids are the coming up stars

MMCC’s smallest children – age 4-7 years – is given a high priority as they are the absolute future of the country. The Mini Kids take part of all daily activities at the MMCC center as well as they perform together with the older children.

The Mini Kids also have their own special program with pre-school classes and education on hygiene. In the winter-program separate classes are made for the smallest children. The classes includes theater, painting, pre-school, music and acrobatic

MMCC children perform abroad

In 2005 12 of the MMCC children artists performed in Germany and Denmark for two month. In 2006 a new group of seven boys and six girls visited Japan.

In the tours abroad the children present a bright and colourful Afghanistan to the world outside. The feedback from the more than 20,000 audience in both Europe and Japan has been fantastic. As the tours naturally need a lot of preparation they at the same time help to improve all parts of MMCC.

A new tour to California is currently being organized for January 2008. For more information and updates about the tour please see: www.afghanmmcc.org/california

Sponsors and Partners are highly appreciated

MMCC only exists due to major help and generous contributions from a large number of individuals, donors and partners.

We are constantly looking for new partners and sponsors to enable us to continue the activities. Any contacts and/or contributions are highly appreciated.

For more information please visit: www.AfghanMMCC.org and contact us by phone: +93-(0)70-280140 / +93-(0)70-229975 or e-mail: circus@afghanmmcc.org – Skype name: AfghanMMCC