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Norway

Queen Sonja met volunteers for Norway’s TV-Charity Campaign

Queen Sonja spent Thursday at the Activity House at Tøyen in the capital of Oslo. Here she met volunteers who are getting ready for the upcoming charity TV campaign for the state television channel NRK. The Queen is a ‘high protector’ for this year’s TV campaign.

Together with the Secretary General of CARE, Gry Larsen, and TV Action Leader, Vibecke Østby, Queen Sonja met volunteers in the TV Action Committee who told Her Majesty about their commitment to this year’s TV action. This year’s campaign launches on October 20, and municipalities and volunteers across the country are working to recruit volunteers.

The Queen has a strong social commitment and has been an active participant in major actions by several senior executives. She was a member of the Action Committee for the First TV Action in 1974 to collect money for Refugees and was a Protector in both 2010 and 2016. Tøyen Orchestra and the children’s choir provided musical performances for Queen Sonja and there were discussions from the stage. Among the topics was the importance of volunteering for a unifying local environment. Queen Sonja participated in a talk about the TV action as a 45-year old tradition.

HM Queen Sonja at Tøyen in Oslo. Photo: The Royal Court / Kongehuset.no

This year’s TV campaign has the name “Now It’s Her Turn”. All the money will go to CARE’s work to empower women in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas to earn their own money and have their voices heard. Women still have fewer educational opportunities, are less likely to find employment and are more often exposed to violence. Therefore, with this year’s TV broadcast, CARE will give women in some of the world’s poorest countries the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their family.

The TV-campaign is organized every fall on a Sunday in October since 1974. The country’s mayors are at the head of more than 650 TV-committees, and together with 7,000 volunteers and 100,000 fund-raisers they raises huge amounts of money for good causes. Last year, in 2018, the TV- campaign raised more than 239 million Norwegian crowns. This is 23,8 million euros or 21. 2 million pounds. Each year a member of the Norwegian Royal Family becomes the high protector of state television channel NRK’s charity broadcast.

Last year, several members of the Royal Family participated in NRK’s charity broadcast. Then, Her Majesty Queen Sonja and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended a live all-day show. In 2016, Queen Sonja also donated one of her art pieces, which was auctioned off, and all the revenue went to the Red Cross. In 2017, it was Crown Prince Haakon who served as the protector.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.