Lena Maria

Lena Maria Vendelius was born without arms and with a left leg only half as long as her right. Despite this, she has made a career as an international singer, artist, lecturer and author. She has also been a successful swimmer.
- "In Sweden, we have a society where, despite my disability, I have a place and can be seen. But if I had been born in another country, my life could have been completely different," she says.

One country where the view of people with disabilities is very different from Sweden is Belarus. There, it is common for children with disabilities to grow up in institutions, hidden from society. But Erikshjälpen is working to improve the conditions for these children - and Lena Maria is helping to spread knowledge about this work through her charity concerts in collaboration with Erikshjälpen.

- It feels great, Erikshjälpen is close to my heart. The purpose of the concerts is to find new monthly donors and get people to help others who are not as well off. It's easy to help when there are many of you," she says.

For her latest tour, Lena Maria traveled to Belarus, where she had the opportunity to visit some of the institutions where children with disabilities grow up.

- It looks much like it did in Sweden 80 years ago. The children are well off in some ways - they have somewhere to live, food and security. But they don't have the freedom we take for granted," says Lena Maria, and continues:

- Many things, not least attitudes towards these children, need to change. What motivates me is that I know it can be done. I have seen so much positive change all over the world.

For Lena Maria, using her gifts to try to make the world a better place is a natural step. Now she hopes that it can rub off on others.

- I want to be a voice to get people involved. You feel so good and get so much back when you care about your fellow human beings.

Author: Patricia Franzén