(Dagbladet): “Poor children in Norway are not taken care of because asylum children are given priority, help me to do something about it!” Het post on blogs of Maria Høili (32) and Kristine Saltvold Høili (25).
This led to a storm of criticism, 300 comments, 19 000 shares on Facebook and discussion in Budstikka.
The bloggers went out with a campaign to raise funds for poor children in Norway, with arguments that refugee children now get everything.
– It began with a provocation. We began with a desire for cooperation with the Red Cross, and to deliver Christmas gifts there so they could deliver them. But they should only focus on the reception, so it was no collaboration, says Maria Høili Dagbladet.
Much criticism
The two bloggers are million heirs of Europris founder Terje Høili, which is Mary’s father and Kristine’s father in law.
In the comments applauding several efforts for poor children in Norway, like his mother who writes: “Is embarrassing and inferior to have to say no to as little as a cinema and bowling .. You do not feel like a good mom then.” But the two also criticized for putting two weak groups in Norwegian society against each other. The criticism is that the post creates an image of “refugees or us.”
– Yes it can very well accuse me of, but since all their Red Cross money would go to the receipts, as was the group deck. As my headline was correct. That was the message, it’s not about putting groups against each other, but to tell if it happens. The children in the reception centers receive no less for that reason, for they get the everything. Here there is a skewed distribution, says Maria Høili.
“Then all Red Cross’ support goes to asylum children and not our own?” she asked in the blog post. “The larger voluntary actors sitting with millions in the bank and has a straw down in the municipal cash to finance the activities they offer … And what they offer: Primarily seen working with minorities!” Wrote the two bloggers.
Red Cross responds
Asker Red Cross has responded to this representation of the organization.
– What she writes is completely false. We have no straws in the government’s coffers, and we work for all children with all the means we have, says head Aud Lene Hedemann Larsen in Asker Asker Red Cross to Budstikka.
They have signed an agreement with a secondary school as stock gifts to refugee children at the center Vardåsen. Where there are now 35 refugee children.
– We have asked others to consult with the Church City Mission, for which we see that Christmas gifts are distributed to inform recipients around. We also organize an “Alternative July”, where it is collected gifts through your library, then go gifts for those on “Alternative July”, not only asylum children, says deputy Robert Georg Grønvold Dagbladet.
He says they only have one car to drive out Christmas gifts.
– We do not sit in with some bad conscience that we just in this context decide to give up to Vardåsen. We prioritize Vardåsen, turn Grønvold firm.
Public regret
Høili bloggers have since Saturday issued a public apology to the Red Cross and praised all the good work done by the volunteers there.
But Maria Høili stuck on the attention of the Red Cross should have been aimed at both groups, and the headline on the blog post her has remained: “Poor children in Norway are not taken care of because asylum children are given priority, help me to do something on it! “.
– All funding goes to asylum children and refugee centers. I find it very strange since Asker is located in the top of poverty for children. I think one can make a both- and distribution, says Høili.
– May provoke
Today there are over 80,000 poor children in Norway. Most poor children there are in Oslo, Østfold and Telemark, and immigrant children are overrepresented. In the apology had Høili go out and point out that she would not only help white children, because many had responded to her saying that “our own” do not get help.
– To reach out to as many as possible must come with a provocative headline, for if not, no one reads it. We would accomplish many as possible who would see it and help, says Høili.
Since Saturday has bloggers collected 50,000 million to the organization Right Front, which helps poor families with children. The organization is an AS and not a member of collection control, the approval body as all major and serious organizations are a member.
– When we started so had drammen approximately 2,100 children who were below the poverty line. Now it has flipped over 3000 children, although it is difficult to estimate the exact figure. The increase of poor children in Drammen has been really great. There are children who have lost all forms of social activity and fall outside the social community. Children who do not celebrate Christmas and not celebrating a birthday, says managing director Ronny Johnsen Andrè Dagbladet.
No comments:
Post a Comment