15 years of RED NOSES in Lithuania: A visit from Monica Culen

To mark the 15th anniversary of RED NOSES Lithuania, our co-founder Monica Culen travelled to Vilnius, where she was welcomed by First Lady Diana Nausėdienė and Minister of Health Marija Jakubauskienė. The visit offered space to reflect, reconnect and celebrate the role of humour and human connection in healthcare. 

Monica visited the Children’s Oncohematology Centre at Santaros Klinikos, where she and the First Lady met with staff and witnessed the ongoing work of RED NOSES clown artists with children undergoing cancer treatment. The visit offered a deeper look at how humour and play can support emotional wellbeing in a clinical setting. At Santaros Klinikos—the largest children’s oncohematology centre in the Baltic region—RED NOSES clown artists help create space for joy, relief and resilience in the midst of treatment.

Monica also met with Lithuania’s Minister of Health, Marija Jakubauskienė, together with Aistė Lacitė, Managing Director of RED NOSES Lithuania. The meeting offered space for an open exchange on how artistic interventions are increasingly recognised as part of a more human-centred healthcare experience. 

‘If children remember joy more than pain, everything changes.’ —Aistė Lacitė, Managing Director, RED NOSES Lithuania

This visit marked not just a milestone, but an ongoing commitment to bringing humour and humanity into healthcare—together.