Alcohol-free spaces for children in Greenland

In a country where people are still living in close connection with the surrounding nature and the climate challenges also social work needs to adpt to the local reality.The summer time is short and it requires all families involving children and adults to gather reserves for the winter. The hunting and fishing needs to be done at summer months and also the collection of berries and mushrooms etc. This is the time of the year when there is not as much time for volunteering at Blue Cross or paying attention to alcohol and drug issues. Still- the people who are not able to prepare for the hard winter are in the risk of further difficulties in their life. If people affected by addiction can get support all year round they can manage better and have less risk for serious social exclusion.

There has been a project in 7 towns but during the busy months it was hard to find volunteers. Blue Cross staff on the other hand do not have the finances to use helicopters on a regular basis to travel in this vast country to provide the face to face services in all of these locations altough the alcohol problem is a serious issue and the need is overwhelming. There are no roads to many of the places and only option is to fly or to take a ferry. These other travel methods are very time consuming and this is why local volunteers are the key to successful work. In addition fund s are needed to support and train the volunteers and this is why we are so thankful for your contributions.

Blue Cross Greenland needs your support more than ever and we look forward to updating you about our activities in coming months.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year 2018. 

Blue Cross Greenland needs support! The need is vast and we need to find new people to support the Blue Cross Activities. Better funding would make work more sustainable.

There are parents who go through alcohol and drug treatment provided by authorities. Meanwhile the family stays at home and struggles on with their everyday life. Many parents returning home after treatment face the same old reality of disfunctional relationships and lack of skills to manage finances and routines of everyday life. This could lead to relapse if everyday life just gets too much.

Blue Cross has opened a living room for these families. Family can come as a whole. Children will play and parents can have a cup of coffee and talk about their needs. The Blue Cross staff and volunteers give advice on managing everyday life, housekeeping and finances. A lot of pressure is released when family knows there is enough money for food and all other necessities. In this informal setting they learn to manage their family situation in a more constructive way. Families are happier as a whole and the interventions from statutory services have better sustainability.

We hope you stay connected with us, if we can raise funds for a support worker for the year 2018 this great work can continue. Thank you for thinking of us- we cannot do it without your support!