[ad_1]
COFFEE MEETING: Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit speak with Janne Bøhmer Killingstad, who sells = Oslo, Nina Damm Lothe, who is a barista at = Coffee, Oslo Mayor Marianne Borgen, and Bishop Kari Veiteberg , during a visit to = Coffee in Oslo on Sunday. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / POOL
The crown situation makes the Christmas season difficult for drug addicts this year. On Sunday, the helpers in the street setting in Oslo received additional thanks for the efforts of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
– Very good coffee!
That was the verdict of the Crown Prince interested in coffee when he and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited = Coffee in Oslo on Sunday along with Mayor Marianne Borgen (SV) and Bishop Kari Veiteberg.
They were cared for by Nina Damm Lothe, a former drug addict who now works as a barista at = Coffee. She told the Crown Prince and Crown Princess how important it has been for her to have something to go to.
– When all of Norway suddenly closed and I had nowhere to go, I was terribly depressed and scared of my job, Lothe tells NTB.
From junkie to barista: −I hope that every weekday
The isolation that thousands of Norwegians now feel through layoff, home office and social distancing, has been the daily life of many drug addicts, he says. Many are left alone, filled with shame and low self-esteem.
– But here you have companions. You talk to people all the time. It is incredibly important to get up.
Christmas edition for sale
Also present at the café visit was Janne Bøhmer Killingstad, one of = Oslo’s vendors who now walks through the capital with the magazine’s Christmas issue.
According to Killingstad, sales are going quite well, although there are fewer people than usual.
– I think this is the perfect gift for those who do not know what to buy.
ENGAGEMENT: Crown Prince Haakon at Karl Johans gate in Oslo in connection with a visit to = Kaffe og Kirkens Bymisjon on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / POOL
Killingstad told the Crown Prince and Crown Princess that = Oslo has sometimes been the only thing to get her off the couch. Now she usually sings a Christmas song composed by herself while she is away.
– Sometimes there are people who smack their lips. But then he’s singing even louder.
Encourages you to show consideration
Crown Prince Haakon encourages people to give an extra smile and show consideration during this time.
“What impresses me the most is how the sellers in Oslo are doing and they have a positive attitude that they can do it,” the Crown Prince tells NTB.
The Crown Prince commends aid organizations for how they have worked through the pandemic.
– Organizations make a fantastic effort and manage to find solutions even at this moment, where we have to do things a little differently.
Harder Christmas
Lothe believes that this year’s Christmas season will be terribly difficult for people living on the streets. Many have lost contact with their parents and their children. For many, the Christmas offers from humanitarian organizations are all they have, he says.
Veiteberg is also concerned. She herself was a street priest for many years. Now he fears that drug addicts will face behind closed doors.
– Among drug addicts, there has been very little infection. But what many have said during this period is that it may not be the covid-19 that affects him, but loneliness, the bishop tells NTB.
Among the events that have been canceled in Oslo due to coronary restrictions is the traditional alternative Christmas at Folkets Hus.
Stays open
But far from everything it is closed.
After the visit to = Coffee, Crown Prince Haakon continued to Østbanehallen. There he met the Church City Mission, which is now planning events in more than 50 cities in Norway.
– Christmas is not canceled or canceled. It’s just rearranged. It is important that we emphasize, says Secretary General Adelheid Dismissing Hvambsal in the Church City Mission to NTB.
More news highlights on VGTV:
