The Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Egmont Foundation have awarded grants to the Refugee Children Return to School project of Save the Children Denmark. The two foundations are awarding DKK 12.2 million to the project, which will provide psychosocial support to refugee children in the special reception classes in primary and lower-secondary education in Denmark. The project, which will run for 4 years, will help 6000 refugee children in 35 of Denmark’s municipalities.
Many of the refugee children who arrive in Denmark experience trauma and neglect and poor well-being after living through war, disasters and fleeing conflict.
The psychosocial initiative will strengthen children’s social, cognitive and emotional skills in playful and creative ways. The initiative will promote the children’s well-being and resilience so that they can learn and develop both personally and educationally in primary and lower-secondary school, thereby ensuring that they can function well in Denmark in the long term.
Thomas Alslev Christensen, Head of Operations, Novo Nordisk Foundation says: “In awarding the grant, the Foundation wants to contribute to improving the well-being, competencies and learning of newly arrived refugee children. The project is based on internationally recognized methods and focuses on how Denmark’s municipalities can become even better at delivering vital support and specific teaching to a deprived target group.”
A key part of the initiative involves providing newly arrived refugee children with a learning process and teaching materials. In addition, courses are planned for their teachers and other educators and workshops for their parents.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded DKK 6 million to the project and the Egmont Foundation DKK 6.2 million.
Henriette Christiansen, director of Egmont Foundation’s grant administration says: “Children in flight are subjected to violent and traumatizing experiences. They are also out of school for long periods, have major gaps in their learning and have low self-esteem. In awarding the grant, the Egmont Foundation wants to contribute to ensuring that refugee children receive the necessary psychosocial support and get a good enough start in school so that they will be able to complete an upper-secondary education programme in the long term.”
Read more about the project here (in Danish).
FURTHER INFORMATION
Gitte Bank Jensen, Press Officer, Save the Children Denmark, phone: +45 3067 4805, [email protected].
Christian Mostrup Scheel, Senior Press Officer, Novo Nordisk Foundation, phone: +45 3067 4805, [email protected]
