Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway, accompanied by Bishop Kari Veiteberg and Mayor Marianne Borgen, have visited the street environment in Oslo. Many of those who are drug-addicted are struggling extra hard now that so much is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
At the café, “=Kafe”, people struggling with drug addiction or living on the streets get the opportunity for paid work, participation and competence. The cafe has attracted good reviews and satisfied customers, offering those who work there a sense of pride and control over their lives as well as positivity. During their visit, on December 6th 2020, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess brought an Advent wreath as a gift to the café. Since it opened in 2017, 28 people with abuse problems have received training as baristas and a job to go to.
Outside the cafe, the Crown Prince and Princess met with Janne Bøhmer Killingstad who sells the magazine “=Oslo” and Nina Damm Lothe who is a barista at the café. The sellers of “=Oslo” are a well-known sight in the city streets. They hope many will buy the Christmas edition now as the holidays approach. The project “=Oslo” is a monthly magazine that current and former addicts buy for 50 Norwegian crowns and then sell on the street for 100 crowns to earn money the legal way.
Before Kari Veiteberg became Oslo’s bishop in 2017, before she worked as a priest in the Church’s city mission. She has in-depth knowledge of the City Mission’s work in Oslo and the challenges many of the city’s weakest face. She had a lot to tell Crown Prince Haakon, who joined her to meet representatives of the City Mission’s offer at Oslo S. Together they walked along the parade-street of Karl Johan, where the Royal Palace lies in the end of the street.
The meeting on the streets of Oslo was not announced in the royal diary as usual due to security challenges in that the royals had to stay so long in a congested area of the capital. The visit was nevertheless very successful.
The state TV channel NRK followed the Crown Prince and Crown Princess on their visit. To NRK, the Crown Prince said: “It is nice to be able to give some disadvantaged people an extra smile and show a little consideration during this time. It is a difficult time for many due to the pandemic. Then it is nice that we can spread a little Advent and Christmas joy.”
