Hero Camp in Aalborg

One child in ten in Denmark lives with a chronic disease and/or a disability. Between them, these children have more than 200 different diagnoses, but even so, they have two specific things in common: they live with their disease every day, and they want their life to be as normal as possible.

Hero camps are an opportunity in the summer for families with children who have a chronic disease or disability – or children going through a long period of illness. The offer enables these children to take part in groups, make friends, and, not least, enjoy some relief from their disease. When the disease is always there in everyday life, a Hero camp is a place where children can just be children – and where there is time and energy for the family to be together and create good holiday memories.

Hero camps are organised by the Child Accident Prevention Foundation, and the individual camps are run by volunteers, including nurses, ambassadors and collaborating partners, together with Play Heroes and Creative Heroes from hospitals. In 2023 we succeeded in setting up five Hero camps in different parts of the country. Altogether 107 children, 90 parents, 40 ambassadors and 70 volunteers took part.

“With the support of the Vissing Foundation, we will be able to arrange a Hero Camp in Aalborg in 2024. This will make a real difference for children and families in north Jutland. Children need some free space when they live with a chronic disease and/or disability,” says Henriette Madsen, general secretary of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation.