A local children's charity was laughing all the way to the bank this week, after International comedy show Just For Laughs donated $18,000.

This year's Just for Laughs show at the Fairmont Southampton Resort proved to be even more of a success than last year which meant more money for the Kathmandu Kids Club.

The Kathmandu Kids Club supports the work of The ISIS Foundation, a Bermuda-based charity that helps children in serious need in Nepal.

Club members helped out as volunteers for all five Just For Laughs shows.

Organiser and "chief chuckler" Richard Simon, said he was "thrilled" with the support from Bermuda's residents.

"Thanks to them, we sold out four shows and are able to increase our donation to The ISIS Foundation/Kathmandu Kids Club from $12,000 to $18,000!"

Kathmandu Kids Club chairman Kim Carter said: "The Kathmandu Kids Club is again extremely grateful for the generosity of Mr. Simon and Just For Laughs Bermuda.

"Our team of volunteers was delighted to be part of another successful show and we would like to congratulate Richard Simon and his crew on a fantastic event.

"This money will make an incredible difference to the children The ISIS Foundation supports in Nepal.

"When you consider that a pair of shoes costs less than $6 and a school uniform costs $21, you can have some idea of how far $18,000 will go. The comedians on stage in Bermuda certainly made us laugh — but the kids in Nepal will have even bigger smiles as a result."

The ISIS Foundation's mission is to make a positive difference to the lives of children in the developing world, primarily through health and educational programmes in Uganda and Nepal.

"The Foundation has multiple projects in Nepal ranging from running ten children's homes for more than 130 children who have escaped the war in the mountains and are now living in Kathmandu, providing free healthcare for street people, to providing solar power, clean drinking water and pit latrines for hundreds of families living in villages 10,000 feet up in the Himalayas.

For more about Just For Laughs Bermuda, visit www.comedyevent.bm or call 292-7232

To learn more about the Kathmandu Kids Club and The ISIS Foundation, log onto www.kathmandukidsclub.com or www.isis.bm.