The Director of Children's World International, Arabella Churchill, 2 talented performers, Booper the Clown and Devilstick The Clown, and 3 Children's World Play Leaders, Paddy Hill, Charlie Miller and Daryl Webster, spent 25 days in September/October 1999 in Albania and Kosovo, taking performances, badge-making, circus skills workshops, face-painting, parachute games and creative play workshops to children in need in and around Tirana, Albania, and in and around Pristina, Gjakova and Peje in Kosovo.

Performances were presented for more than 5,000 children and workshops for more than 3,000- and badge machines, parachutes for games and art and craft materials were donated by Children's World International to all the venues where we worked so that the fun could continue after our return to England. (We were even the warm-up act, one day, for an important speech by UN Director, Kofi Anan in Peje amid huge security!). Since our return Devilstick The Clown has returned twice to Albania to undertake further performances and workshops under the umbrella of Balkan Sunflowers and has taken additional equipment from Children's World International to be used with children in need by different Non-Government Agencies.

The children of Kosovo were badly in need of some entertainment and fun after the traumas they had suffered during the very recent conflict. Children's World International is not, and cannot be, a proper "aid agency". Our skills would be of no help during a time of crisis, but once a crisis is over Children's World International can provide performance, play and creative workshops and fun to help rebuild confidence and hope for the future. This trip to Kosovo and to Albania was certainly a success. We worked chiefly under the wing of the excellent Balkan Sunflowers and War Child (Holland), and undertook performances at venues organised by them and by the European Children's Trust and Save the Children.

Children's World International was set up because the Children's World Charity, by the terms of its trust deed, is geographically limited to working only in the South West of England. Through Children's World International we can take the work of Children's Worldanywhere in the world, when appropriate. We are considering further trips to the Balkans and also an integration project working together with Catholic and Protestant children in Northern Ireland in the future.

"Children's World joined our volunteers twice a day organising children's activities. Children and adults were delighted to see their performances and to join their workshops and games. They were a very professional team. Each member specialised in a different skill and worked together as a close team. Children's World instructed and trained our volunteers in different methods of working with children. They also introduced our team to new and extended ways of entertaining children through play, drama, music and art. When they left they donated large amounts of play and art materials to our projects and Save the Children projects. Children's World brought a fresh wind of energy and enthusiasm to our Balkan Sunflowers volunteers, and we consider the project a big success."

Balkan Sunflowers Co-Ordinator.