Solstickan Award for 2011 goes to H.M. Queen Silvia
H.M. Queen Silvia has demonstrated a genuine commitment to children and the elderly for many years. In 1999, the Queen took the initiative of founding the World Childhood Foundation (WCF), which promotes improved conditions for children around the world. The foundation supports a substantial number of projects in approximately 15 countries. Today, there are World Childhood Foundations in Sweden, Brazil, Germany and the US.
On the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2009, H.M. Queen Silvia took the initiative of involving several children’s organizations – the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden, BRIS (Children’s Rights in Society), ECPAT, Save the Children, Plan Sweden, SOS Children’s Villages, UNICEF Sweden and the World Childhood Foundation – in a collaboration to further promote the content of the convention in Sweden. This collaboration led to seminars and inspiration days in Sweden and in the EU.
In the autumn 2010, H.M. Queen Silvia spoke about vulnerable children in today’s society at the World Child & Youth Forum:
“We know that our childhood leaves a strong imprint on our adult life. The more children and young people that grow up in an environment that provides them with support, both regarding successes and setbacks, the greater the possibility that they avoid finding themselves destructively isolated, which sometimes leads to ill-health, substance abuse and criminality. It is my sincere wish that all children should know their true worth. There are children that are unaware and who are unable to like themselves. For these children, it is even more crucial for us adults to pause, actually see them and show them that a hopeful future is waiting for them too.”
The Silvia Home for dementia patients, located in Drottningholm, is a result of The Queen's initiative and personal commitment. The Silviahemmet Foundation, which The Queen chairs and with which she works actively, promotes scientific research and offers education, specialized training and care in the field of dementia. Queen Silvia works actively on behalf of the disabled. Queen Silvia works actively on behalf of the disabled. She chairs the Royal Wedding Fund, which supports research in sports and athletics for disabled young people.
She also chairs the Queen Silvia Jubilee Fund for research on children and disability.
The Queen has studied sign language in order to be able to communicate more effectively with the hearing impaired.
Queen Silvia holds honorary positions in a large number of organizations and societies, such as the Swedish Amateur Athletic Association, the Children's Cancer Foundation of Sweden and Save the Children Sweden.
The Solstickan Award has been awarded, every year since 1986, to people who have provided an extraordinary personal input in areas deemed compatible with the Foundation’s charter.
Slightly more than 2.2 MSEK to the foundation
For every product sold under Swedish Match’s Solstickan brand, a portion of sales is donated to the Solstickan Foundation. Since 1936, some 10 billion boxes have been sold in Sweden, entailing more than 100 MSEK for the foundation since its inception. The Annual General Meeting of the foundation was told that the many thousands of small öre increments from the sale of matches in 2010, plus donations, had generated more than 2.2 MSEK.
The following project grants have been awarded:
- Glädjeverkstan, was granted 100,000 SEK in support of activities regarding clown visits to the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital in 2010.
- The Tobacco & Match Museum, was granted 50,000 SEK to fund a school program about fire safety.
- Bräcke Diakoni, was granted 200,000 SEK to perform a feasibility study regarding the abuse of children with functional disabilities.
- Våga Börje Prata (National organization for vulnerable children) was granted 10,000 SEK to operations.
- The Kommittén för försvaret av kvinnors rättigheter (Committee for Defense of Women’s Rights) was granted 80,000 SEK in support of the project Bara barn (Just children) – a support project for the children of abused mothers.
- The Salvation Army’s halfway house, Skogsbo, was granted 159,000 SEK in support of its operations to support the children of women who were victims of human trafficking.
- Föreningen Raka Spåret (motivation of drug users and individuals with criminal records to gain an education) was granted 50,000 SEK to set up a play on the theme of bullying and abuse as part of the MORSK project.
- Children First – an international campaign for children’s rights – was granted 60,000 SEK to implement the Jämställdhet project (gender equality project).
Research scholarships to six individuals
A Rolf Zetterström Stipendium of 100,000 SEK has been awarded to Elin Taube, registered radiology nurse, doctoral candidate, for her project Ensamhet bland äldre: upplevelser, orsaker, effekter, samband och prevention (Loneliness amongst the elderly: experiences, causes, effects, connections and prevention).
Research scholarships of 80,000 SEK have been awarded as follows:
Cecilia Elam Edwén, registered physiotherapist, doctoral candidate, for her project Muscle power and postural control compared to clinical tests for balance; do we find the ones at risk for fall.
Marina Jonsson, registered nurse, for her project Kunskapsöverföring om barnastma i primärvården – klinisk studie om följsamhet till behandlingsriktlinjer.(Knowledge transfer regarding child asthma in primary care – clinical study regarding compliance with treatment guidelines.)
Debora Rizzuto, doctoral candidate, for her project Developing dementia after age 75: life expectancy, length of survival and disease severity.
Susanna Stenevi Lundgren, physiotherapist, Master's degree, for her project Utökad fysisk aktivitet hos barn. Hur påverkas den neuromuskulära utvecklingen? (Increased physical activity in children. How is neuromuscular development affected?)
Majlis Winberg Salomonsson, registered psychologist, M.Sc. in Psychology, for her project Troubled babies – troubled kids? A Follow-up of Mother Infant problems.
Visit the Solstickan Foundation website, www.solstickan.se.
