Capital: Copenhagen
Area: 43,094 km²
Population: 5.3 million (December 2000 est.)
Ethnic groups: Danish (97%), immigrants from other Scandinavian countries, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan (2,2%), German minority
Official language(s): Danish
Religion(s): Lutheran Protestant (over 90%)
Currency: 1 Danish krone = 100 øre
Inspired by the "Grain of Rice" fundraising drive in 1963 some members of the Danish-Austrian Society, led by Maria Crone and Mitzi Sidenius - both Austrians by birth, who as children were evacuated from Vienna to Denmark after World War I, - initiated the formation of "The Committee for Danish Friends of SOS Children's Villages" with the help of Dr. Egon Hofreiter from SOS-Kinderdorf International. As a result of this fundraising drive two family houses could be financed in the SOS Children's Village Daegu in South Korea, the first village to be built outside Europe.
"SOS-Børnebyerne, Danmark" was officially founded in November 1964; until 1970, however, the secretariat in Copenhagen was run only on a voluntary basis.
As there are up to present no SOS Children's Villages or other affiliated facilities in Denmark the main activity of the Danish association is to promote the goals and objectives of SOS Children's Villages as well as raise funds in form of sponsorships and donations for SOS projects primarily in the Third World. The formation of a Danish committee and the hard work of the first director, A.C. Feirup, led to SOS Denmark being able to finance, at first, individual family houses and later whole SOS Children's Villages. In 1982 the first village, which was totally financed by SOS Denmark, the SOS Children's Village for Tibetan children at Mussoorie, India, was inaugurated. A film made in connection with the inauguration led to the formation of the first three voluntary support groups in Ballerup, Radio Denmark and Værløse. Since then the number of such groups has increased drastically and there are now more than 30 groups spread all over Denmark. Since then SOS Denmark has financed SOS Children's Villages in Rwanda, Botswana, Nicaragua, Laos and Estonia (joint Nordic project) amongst other countries.
For several years Iceland was part of the Danish association, but in the early 1990's an independent Icelandic association was established with continued close links to SOS in Denmark.
In 1995, Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte, the younger sister of the Danish queen, took on the patronage of the Danish association. In the meantime SOS Children's Villages can count with the support from over 120,000 sponsors and friends in Denmark.
At present "SOS-Børnebyerne Danmark" is engaged in several new projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Website of SOS Children's Villages Denmark (available in Danish)