Crown Princess Mary as Patron of The Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

[Muhler]

Summary of article in Billed Bladet #36, 2010.
Mary gav sin bryllupsgave til flygtninge - Mary have her wedding present to refugees.
Written by Ken Richter.

M&F were presented with a gift cerificate for 50.000 to use in shops in Viborg. (*) And now that certificate or rather the amount went to refugees: "Two years ago I visited refugees in Uganda. So I have seen with my own eyes how even small amounts can make a big difference. That's why I believe it's appropriate that I hand over the wedding present we got from Viborg Handel = trade association to the refugees is four villages in Liberia".
That was applauded by those present in Viborg Theatre where this took place.

Mary spend the whole day in Viborg, where a million DKK has been collected for the benefit of refugees in Liberia.
She started out by visiting Bjergneæsskolen, the 150 pupils there from 9. and 10 grade had lived for 48 hours like refugees. Learning how to cope with not being fed adequately, don't know what time it is, don't know what will happen and having nothing to do - just waiting.
Mary said: "The pupils experienced what it means to be a refugee, with lots of uncertainties and hunger. It's also incredible that they after just a few hours without a watch lost the sense of time, so I'm certaing they saw their own lives in perspective and that they in the future will have a big understanding for it means to refugees".

Then she visited the House of Volunteers and met a family of refugees from Congo, eight in total, who had been refugees in Rwanda for tvelve years before ending up in a village near Viborg.
Mary said: "They have fought a hard struggle and lived under a big psycological pressure. It was a big experience to hear about their life and the journey to Denmark. It was enriching to hear about the Danish contact family which teach the refugees about Danish culture and new values. Let's have more of that". (**) Jeanine and Paul Nkubana have six children, all born in refugee camps. She added: "The children are doing well at school and have Danish friends. The big boys are also good at playing soccer". (***)

Mary was asked when they will move in at Amalienborg and she replied: "We will move later this year. - Hopefully".
Ken Richter (****) explains that the huge success in people wishing to see the palais has been wearing the floors, so they need a make over and they still have to furnish their new homes as practically all furniture they have at present in Kancellihuset will remain there as they plan to spend the summers at Fredensborg.

(*) There has been some annoyance from the locals in Viborg that M&F haven't used that cerificate yet. But if you live most of the time in Copenhagen then I guess you don't go to Viborg very often. Viborg being located in north central Jutland. You really have to have a purpose for going to that town. Even those of us who live in Eastern Jutland don't go there often. The town is slightly out of the way, so to speak.

(**) I understand that a contact family is not common practise.

(***) This success story in regards to integration is in my opinion very much dependant on the refugees themselves, naturally, but more so because they are integrated into a small community as a village is. Being the strangers, they have to do more to be integrated and they are surrounded by more people with surplus enough to help them to integrate.
That is in contrast to the major cities, especially if they end up in a ghetto. Also the more countrymen they have nearby the higher the tendency is, very naturally, to mingle with them, rather then being forced into mingling with ethnic Danes.
In a village, if you mingle and integrate with the locals you become part of the tribe. On the other hand if you don't mingle, you are out and it can be very lonely in a village!
That doesn't apply just to foreigners mind you, but to all outsiders. We live ourselves in a large village not that far from where Mrs. Muhler grew up. That means that among many locals who know her, I'm first and foremost known as Mrs. Muhler's husband and that will most likely be the case for the next 20-30 years. So some locals wanted to have a closer look at me to see who it was she had dragged home with her before I was fully accepted.

(****) Ken Richter is a reporter in the sense that he doesn't speculate much, so his articles are pretty reliable.

[iceflower]

___________________________


Crown Princess Mary has visited the Danish Refugee Council Centre in Odense
today, November 3, 2010. She was shown how the DRC teaches it's students
the Danish language.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **

** fyens.dk: Mary til sprogundervisning i Odense ** gallery **

(if you scroll down there also are some videos)

** fyens.dk: Kronprinsessen i Lærdansk-quiz ** gallery **

** fyens.dk: Kronprinsessen på skolebænken ** gallery **

** tv2fyn.dk article with pics: Kronprinsesse Mary kom til Odense **

[MissSaga]

I love the detail on this shirt: http://images.fyens.dk/84/894284_750_496_0_0_0_0.jpg

http://images.fyens.dk/89/894289_750_496_0_0_0_0.jpg

http://images.fyens.dk/90/894290_750_496_0_0_0_0.jpg

Awww such a big and healthy bump: http://images.fyens.dk/91/894291_750_496_0_0_0_0.jpg

http://images.fyens.dk/72/894272_750_496_0_0_0_0.jpg


She looked just beautiful, I really love the top, the fabric looks amazing and it looks very comfortable for a pregnant woman.

I also think the cause is really great!

[Katrianna]

I think it's great of Mary to support this organization when refugees are facing hardships in today's world. It says a lot when she visits and shows genuine interest.

[agnessa]

Mary was really beautiful and happy and people too but one thing that little disturbed me was the woman on one picture - showing directly to Mary's bump...

Don't no why but it seems just little creepy... or maybe I'm just raised up with knowing that it's not polite to show directly to bump or maybe I'm just superstitious...

But yes, it was Creepy...

I meant that picture
http://images.fyens.dk/84/894284_750_496_0_0_0_0.jpg

[emac0914]

I agree. Creepy but also rude... If you're going to take a picture of a pregnant woman, it really should be all of her, not just the bump!! It doesn't matter whether you're the CP or not. And, even if she is the CP, that doesn't make it all right to make her bump a media circus. It's exciting that she's pregnant and expecting twins but this is a little weird and overboard.

[UserDane]

I don't know ... I see the picture as a kind gesture somehow. The woman is smiling and she is pointing with her whole hand as if saying 'aww how cute, just look at that belly'. True, it may not be the most polite thing to do, but I get some positive vibes from the woman's attitude.

[dazzling]

Its great seeing Mary interested in such things, it gives them some kind of support & secure. Mary looked really happy. Love her silky top but not the black underneth.
Thanks for the pictures.

[Marika86]

Crown Princess Mary has visited the Danish Refugee Council Center in Odense.
November 03, 2010

Billed-Bladet - Kronprinsesse Mary på skolebænken

[Katrianna]

Originally Posted by UserDane

I don't know ... I see the picture as a kind gesture somehow. The woman is smiling and she is pointing with her whole hand as if saying 'aww how cute, just look at that belly'. True, it may not be the most polite thing to do, but I get some positive vibes from the woman's attitude.

We may look at it as not polite, but it doesn't bother me. What is it that women in all cultures relate to? Pregnancy and children. The pictures show me that these women are delighted in Mary's pregnancy and the woman pointing may be saying, "Look how big she is!" or "Twins!!" if something was mentioned about Mary having twins. To me it isn't rude, it's joy. I've experienced it.

[greenways]

There have been comments made in general about Mary's bump not being big enough. Well, what was always going to happen has, she has a lovely big bump!!

[iceflower]

_______________________


Hellomagazine has a short article about the visit:


** Princess Mary steps out to help students learn Danish ** hellomagazine gallery **

Pic 1 of the gallery could have been taken at a call-center as well

[Katelle]

Thanks for the pics. It's been a long time that I couldn't view this forum, and it's just awesome to be back and find a ridiculously glowing CP Mary.

[Muhler]

Mary visited Uganda in 2008 and was photographed wearing protective gear with a mine-clearing team.

This is a translation of an account of that visit, including a brief interview with Mary.
From my archive:

Translation of TV2-article: (No longer online).

Dybt bevæget Mary sagde farvel – Deeply moved Mary said goodbye.

Crown Princess Mary yesterday ended her visit to northern Uganda as patron for Danish Refugee Council. In an interview with Ritzau the Crown Princess talks about how the human stories moved her deeply on a journey, which also had many unexpected and improvised events.

For four days the Crown Princess in plane and car with police and military escort was met by hundreds and hundreds of refugees and internally displaced. That took place with singing and dancing but also with serious looks in the eyes of deeply poor people, who in the words of the Crown Princess went through “hell”.

- “Before I left I read and heard a lot about the area and the problems people there face. But I come home with a human perspective and that is perhaps the most important perspective of them all. I will never be able to fully comprehend what they have been through. But when you see the misery and hear their stories, you get an understanding for what it means”, said the Crown Princess, who have “seen things in colour”.

- “If I had a black and white image before, colours have now been added. It has become more expressive/clearer. It has provided me with a stronger capacity for presenting the problems and solutions, that I have now met the destinies behind it”, says the Crown Princess, who have been surprised in a positive way in “vitality and human ability to survive”, she has encountered.

The Crown Princess was during the visit bombarded with impressions for her senses in the shape of smells, sounds and visual impressions.
- “But the strongest for me has clearly been what my eyes have seen. And it’s things I haven’t seen before: Poverty in the eyes of little children. So when I place my head on the pillow at night it takes time to fall asleep. The pictures of small faces and adult faces move past again and again. You can see on their faces that they have been through a hell. But there is hope”, says the Crown Princess.
- “It’s difficult to let go of these images. They just pop up suddenly. (*) It’s faces and people who have affected me hard”, said a deeply moved Crown Princess, who now when the schedule is over, can let go a little bit.

- ”While it’s going on, you try to be as strong as you possibly can. But now when it is over and I have to talk about, you let go a little”, says the Crown Princess to Ritzau.

It’s no least the meeting with kindergarten children and former child-soldiers at Moyo, which affected the Crown Princess so deep emotionally, that the tears forced their way through.
- “The song they sang for us, and the children who individually stood forward and told their own stories made a big impression. But it must be somewhat healing for them, that they words on what they have been through, because we have seen that a lot during the trip”, says the Crown Princess, who have shown a great ability to improvise, when for instance a rain storm interrupts the schedule.
While everyone stands shivering soaking wet and cold, the Crown Princess spend the time in chatting to even more children through the bars of a glassless window in a classroom.

Also when the Crown Princess talks to shy or traumatised children, whom it’s difficult to get to say anything about their problems, the Crown Princess improvise. Then she instead asked whether they play football/soccer and who they side with.

But there have also been big smiles and laughter, as when the Crown Princess visited the Ongako camp for internally displaced outside Gulu.
Here she was met by one of the leaders of the camp, who said that he “thought that crown princesses only flew and that people like them would only hear the whoosh of the plane, when the Crown Princess flew over the camp”. And when the Crown Princess after a couple of hours left the camp it took place dancing in a large group of likewise dancing children and adults.
There were also smiles when the Crown Princess visited the Lama refugee camp and the Crown Princess’ two bodyguards from PET, somewhat surprising were introduced with title and full name in full public glare. That hasn’t happened before.
There was also room for smile when an elderly man interrupted a speech at a health clinic and delivered a somewhat incoherent prayer and presented the delegation of the Crown Princess with a plastic bag with hen’s eggs.
In the same place the Crown Princess, when she at some point was in the middle of a big black cluster of children, made some of them squeal with laughter, when she started tickling them.

(*) These images will never stop popping up.

[Sternchen]

Conference of the Danish Refugee Council , Tuesday 07. June 2011
H.K.H. Kronprinsessen takes part in the opening of Danish Refugee Council Conference on the occasion of the 60 year of UN's Refugee convention - in the Stock market hall

https://picasaweb.google.com/billedb...bnerKonference

[iceflower]

Here's another gallery from today, though not as good as the other one



** stella/belga gallery **

[iceflower]

___________________


Crown Princess Mary as Patron of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) attended a meeting
of the DRC in Copenhagen today, March 5, 2012.



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

[tundra]

Originally Posted by iceflower

___________________


Crown Princess Mary as Patron of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) attended a meeting
of the DRC in Copenhagen today, March 5, 2012.



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

Very classic outfit for a meeting.

Did Denmark even have winter this year? They seem to be wearing very light clothing for March. I would like to trade because I'm tired of layered jackets, mittens, etc.

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by tundra

Very classic outfit for a meeting.

Did Denmark even have winter this year? They seem to be wearing very light clothing for March. I would like to trade because I'm tired of layered jackets, mittens, etc.

It was very cold for about three weeks or so. And that was it. - An excellent winter this year!

[fairy tale]

CP Mary opened the the project "Fugitives of the World 2012" at the Frederiksberg City Hall in Copenhagen today, March 13, 2012.

picture gallery ANP Photo
- if the link doesn't show pictures just type in and search for fugitives of the world 2012 tuesday 13. march

little video of her arrival http://byenibyen.frederiksberg.dk/vi...-mary-ankommer