Clowning around in a time of war

Members of Clowns Without Borders entertain Syrian refugee children in Jab Janine, West Bekaa June 2, 2014. REUTERS/Sharif Karim

JABINE Lebanon (Reuters) - Does aid work always have to be serious? Do you have to be a doctor working on the frontline or an aid worker distributing food to refugees? David Clay, a clown from Oregon, thinks not.

Once a construction worker, Clay now volunteers for Clowns Without Borders, an international non-profit organisation that uses laughter to relieve suffering among children in refugee camps, conflict zones and natural disaster areas.