Focus: The Red Cross

The work of the organisation encompasses many of the Crown Princess’s special areas of interest: inclusion, health (including HIV/AIDS), efforts to improve conditions for children and young people, as well as volunteer work.

In a speech given to the general meeting of the Norwegian Red Cross in the autumn of 2010, Crown Princess Mette-Marit stressed the importance of creating a society in which all members are able to participate according to their ability and potential: “Everyone should be able to participate in society – with their own resources and on their own terms. Every individual in our society has something to contribute. I think it is essential to recognise this when working with people. Not to begin by looking at what a person needs help with, but to see what they can bring to society. If we take this as our starting point it is easier to see how we can help to enable people to fulfil their potential.”

Broad scope

The Crown Princess has participated in a number of Norwegian Red Cross activities including: the opening of the Red Cross Campaign “Tie a ribbon” in Bodø , the winter training session of the Red Cross volunteer search and rescue unit at Vikafjellet, the Oslo Prison Christmas concert, as well as visits to local Red Cross branches in Bærum, Lillehammer and Bergen. Over the years the Crown Princess has visited Red Cross activities in many parts of the country:

“In the course of just one year I have visited Red Cross activities related to combating loneliness, networking for people with substance abuse problems or who have been in prison, diversity and multiculturalism, helping disadvantaged people and rescue and emergency preparedness. These visits have enabled me to see a small selection of the many Red Cross activities in Norway. They have shown me an organisation that has managed to a unique extent to meet new humanitarian challenges by developing new activities, but that at the same time has managed to maintain and enhance activities that have been trademarks of the Red Cross for decades and for which there is still a great need in Norwegian society today.”

Women

The Crown Princess has played an active role in planning activities for women with minority backgrounds in Oslo, through her participation in a working group under the auspices of Oslo Red Cross. The working group was established following a report by the Institute for Labour and Social Research (Fafo) that indicated that the living conditions of immigrant women in Oslo, in terms of physical and mental health as well as social activities, were poor. The efforts of the working group culminated in the establishment of the Red Cross women’s centre “Stellla” in downtown Oslo. The Crown Princess attended the official opening of the centre in spring 2012.