Home to the skylark - The Velux Foundations

Brave women
“The Germans couldn’t imagine women taking part
in such activities, so we had a lot more freedom to
get around than the men.” The comment is made
during an interview with one of the many women
who were involved in the Danish Liberation Move-
ment of 1940-45. But not all of the women escaped
attention. More than 700 women were caught by
the Gestapo and sent to the Frøslev labour camp
in Denmark. In a TV documentary series, Li Vil-
strup and Pia Fris Laneth dispel stereotypical per-
ceptions of the resistance movement as brigades of
young men in trench coats. Fifteen women tell their
dramatic stories. Some became gradually involved
in railway and factory sabotage. Others stole and
transported firearms, hid refugees, members of the
resistance and Britons, tracked down informants or
obtained fake identity papers. Still others printed
and distributed illegal pamphlets and books. These
are testimonies to personal courage, ethical dilem-
mas, comrades who were betrayed and executed.
The TV series is supplemented by a website with
materials for upper-secondary history teaching.
Journalist and author, Pia Fris Laneth, MSc Admin-
istration and Political Science. In 2010, the TV series
“Danske kvinder i modstandsbevægelsen” (Danish
women in the Resistance Movement), devised by Li
Vilstrup, Director, and Pia Fris Laneth and produced
by Copenhagen Film Company, received a grant of
DKK 700,000 from the VELUX FOUNDATION.
Hedda Lundh and her husband in the uniforms of The
Danish Brigade. Hedda Lundh was a railway saboteur.
Her group was betrayed by an informant, arrested and
sent to a German concentration camp. She and her husband
escaped to Sweden in time where they joined The
Danish Brigade and Lottekorpset, the women’s auxiliary
force. Photo: May 1945
Keeping children safe
The “Safe childhood” project supports a network
of more than 70 organisations operating in all 16
provinces of Poland. This initiative focuses on 1)
supporting parents at the initial stage of parent-
hood where the new parents face various difficul-
ties that pose a risk to their child’s health and safe-
ty; 2) providing education for parents, caregivers
and professionals as well as providing support
for children who are exposed to various kinds of
abuse and need particular support if they have to
give evidence in legal proceedings; 3) improving
child safety on the Web, because children have ac-
cess to new electronic media and are exposed to
harmful content and cyber-bullying or are at risk
of Internet addiction. These multifaceted threat-
prevention measures, based on interservice com-
munication and a national network supported by
the project contribute to the welfare of children
throughout Poland.
Gabriela Kühn, programme coordinator, The No-
body’s Children Foundation. In 2009, “Safe Child-
hood” was granted DKK 5,276,584 by the VIL-
LUM FOUNDATION.
32 POSTCARDS VILLUM FOUNDATION AND VELUX FOUNDATION
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