Clarification Statement Regarding Erroneous News Reports

With everyone’s encouragement and support, the Taiwan Dr. Red Nose Project is about to enter its second year.

The Ding Lue Blue Magpie Social Welfare Foundation is also one of the good friends supporting Dr. Red Nose. However, recent media reports regarding the “Red Nose Magpie Public Welfare Troupe” contained inaccurate information concerning Dr. Red Nose Project. To avoid misunderstanding, we hereby issue the following statement:

Dr. Red Nose Project was introduced to Taiwan in 2014 by the Sardine Punk Theater Troupe in cooperation with the French organization Le Rire Médecin. It aims to bring warmth and laughter to hospitals through professional Medical Clown performers stationed in hospitals over the long term. During this period, it has received support and encouragement from many partners and enthusiastic members of the public, enabling the project to operate.

The Ding Lue Blue Magpie Social Welfare Foundation sponsored the “Dr. Red Nose Project” in 2016. As part of its sponsorship program, the Sardine Punk Theater Troupe jointly organized “Dr. Red Nose Sharing Lectures” with the foundation, was invited to perform at the “Red Nose Magpie Children’s Fun Event,” and provided a three-day physical training workshop for employees of Ding Lue Insurance Broker. All related cooperation projects were successfully concluded last year.

This year (2017), the Red Nose Clown Care Association was being prepared for establishment. The Ding Lue Blue Magpie Social Welfare Foundation once again expressed its willingness to continue sponsoring and cooperating, but because the association wished to focus on serving children in hospitals, it assessed that, given its limited resources, it would be difficult to undertake the return benefits it had proposed. After multiple discussions, both parties jointly decided to reduce the sponsorship amount and not require any return benefits or cooperation.

The “Red Nose Magpie Public Welfare Troupe” is a volunteer group independently established by the Ding Lue Blue Magpie Social Welfare Foundation. Although it uses “Red Nose” in its name, it has no connection whatsoever with the “Dr. Red Nose Project” or the “Red Nose Clown Care Association.” The troupe’s related performance training is independently organized and conducted by the foundation, and likewise has no connection whatsoever with the “Red Nose Clown Care Association.” The content of its workshop training also bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Medical Clown performer training of the “Dr. Red Nose Project.”

However, statements in the report concerning Ding Lue “cooperating with a public welfare foundation and theater troupe to have sales representatives receive stage-play training and then go to children’s wards to act as red-nose Medical Clown accompanying hospitalized children” …and other related descriptions do not correspond to the actual situation and may mislead the audience. We therefore issue this statement to set the record straight .

The association aims to transform everyone’s goodwill and participation in public welfare into professional and practical action, train more local Medical Clown performers, bring warmth and smiles into hospitals, and create a child-friendly healthcare environment in Taiwan. We look forward to everyone’s continued attention and guidance for Dr. Red Nose!

Dr. Red Nose 2017.7.27