Svana Friðriksdóttir
Svana Friðriksdóttir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1951 Hólmavík, Iceland |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Awards | Nansen Refugee Award |
Svana Friðriksdóttir is an Icelandic educator who won the Nansen Refugee Award in 1971.
Early life and education
[edit]Svana was born in Hólmavík on the 1st January 1951 and moved to Kópavog at the age of thirteen years.[1]
While she studied at teacher's college she spent her evenings and weekend either working at Hotel Saga, or volunteering as a Scout.[1] After the Nigerian Civil War ended in 1970, awareness of the needs of refugees increased in Nordic countries and a movement called Refugees 71 started focussing on door to door fundraising, raising the equivalent of 520 million Icelandic króna.[1] Svana was selected as a representative of the Nordic youth fundraisers and was awarded the Nansen Refugee Award in 1971 when she was 19 years old.[1]
She received the award in Geneva from Sadruddin Aga Khan[2] at a ceremony where U Thant spoke.[3]
Life in the USA
[edit]After finishing her teaching training, Svana married university professor Jóhanni P. Malmquist and they both moved to Pennsylvania, USA.[1] In the USA, she studied art theory and architecture before working as a teacher, working until December 2021.[1] She has three children, plus grandchildren.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Skátastúlkan sem fylgdi í fótspor forseta og kóngafólks". Upplýsingaskrifstofa Sameinuðu - Iceland (in Icelandic). 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ Háskólabókasafn, Landsbókasafn Íslands- (4 Sep 1971). "Tímarit.is". timarit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ Háskólabókasafn, Landsbókasafn Íslands- (6 Oct 1971). "Tímarit.is". timarit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2022-08-05.
