remarked King Harald in a powerful plea for inclusiveness and tolerance during a recent garden party at the Royal Palace in Oslo.
Anti-immigration rhetoric has been on the rise, as the country of 5 million seeks to integrate roughly 30,000 asylum-seekers.
Hvalsmoen, a former military barracks, is now Norway’s second-largest refugee transit centre. Under the motto Aktiv Soroptimist, SI Club Ringerike has set up a wide range of educational and leisure activities for the centre’s 250 residents. But the numbers can swell to 650 during the summer months.
Particular attention has been given to supporting women and children. Female migrants receive assistance in accessing socio-legal services and language tuition. Sports are organised in collaboration with local clubs and associations (such as local athletics and ski clubs, football teams and the Norwegian Trekking Association). These activities give young refugees at Hvalsmoen an important first point of contact with Norwegian children before being transferred to local schools. The Club also collects donated clothes for adults and children, and its ‘Soroptimist Santas’ distribute Christmas gifts.