The Dandelion Centre is a self-governing residential institution in Nuuk, which is registered as a foundation. The purpose of the Dandelion Centre is to improve the well-being and conditions of children and young people who have experienced     neglect and for social reasons cannot live at home. Keeping them out of crime.

The Dandelion Centre consists of administration, housing units and places of socializing. There are supervised visitation, possibility of overnight stay of parents and Therapeutic and pedagogical conversations It takes place at a very high level.

For several years the Center has been run by the Director Nuka Fleischer.

In 2023, we got in person touch with Director Nuka Fleischer and heard about Project Aili. It had had been waiting for financing and the possibility of purchasing a building for housing for a long time.

We offered to help with financing with a requirement to open within 2 years. Director Nuka Fleischer showed us the honour visiting us in Billund spring 2025. 

The official opening took place on 4 February 2026. This could be done, among other things, with the help of our Order – including a huge thank you to the Petit Conseil of the Order of Saint John in Malta for its great willingness to help, to St. Sunniva and to St. Eskil.

We have financed the full furnishing of 8 rooms. Bought prams, lifts, alarms, wheelchairs and much more. We have also financed a sensory room.

The first 2 children – siblings – malnourished and with skin rashes. They slept the first 2 nights in the sensory room with a pedagog to calm down. After 14 days they had gained weight and the skin rashes had disappeared.

Aili carries out a screening of all children who apply for admission, but only accepts children who can be helped.

Visions

1. The establishment of a pedagogical training programme for staff is on schedule. This development work may hopefully be be supported by international aid.
2. Establishment of a centre for children requiring comprehensive therapeutic, psychological, and healthcare assistance.

Present tense

We are not on the lazy side in the Nordic countries. In connection with the opening of Project Aili, I got in touch with the chairman of Lions Club Nuuk. He could see the idea in supporting our project. This means that they want to support our Project and he is now turning to Lions Club Denmark. However, their support will not become a reality before early next year.

Inspired by the Sovereign Council 2026 of the Order, where we in our group talked about the importance of international cooperation, I have taken the liberty of contacting the Australian Priories. As you know, we have an Australian Queen in Denmark, and she is actually the patron of the Dandelion Center, and it could be a start for a european-australian project. Queen Mary visits the center whenever she visits Greenland. Prior Sydney Borg has answered, that they will consider the participation. I will continue to strengthen the contact. Together we are so much stronger.

Training and education of the employees at the Dandelion Center

• We are talking about a competence development course, where the first step covers a 4-day course.
• The course will be a specially designed course covering the target group of Project Aili with the following main points:

• Attachment and relationship work
• Regulation, security and the development of the nervous system
• Therapy, Infant pedagogical and developmental understanding
• trauma reactions and treatment-oriented working methods
• Practice tools for working with highly stressed and vulnerable children

The course is carried out by an external infant therapist and psychotherapist with the necessary specialized expertise.

The first course is planned to be executed already this year, if we achieve som support from PC and the commanderies in the Nordic Priory.

We are already planning for further education for 2027 and in our minds thinking of the next vision.

Next Vision

When we are ready and it is financially anchored we will aim at the establishment of a centre for children requiring comprehensive therapeutic, psychological, and healthcare assistance. This will be in the future, but if we don`t do the basic planning, nothing will happen.

Thank to the Petit Conseil of the Order for giving us the possibility to tell about my heartfelt project.

Maltese Group North Atlantic

I have learned a lot of Prior Frank Jakobsen and his way of using Meltese Groups. Therefore Commandery Dagmar created Maltese Group concerning Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It consists of Knights and Dames from or with considerable knowledge of Greenlandic and Faroe Islands matter. The group makes sure that the school can buy and prepare breakfast for the school children during the winter months. In addition, they work to raise funds for young people to be able to play sports and have a good social life instead of being in a risk group that can end up in crime.

Project Aili is managed by me due to the international work. Every decision is made by the Commandery Council

The support to the rest of Greenland is planned by the Maltese Group North Atlantic. The Maltese Group is only a year old, but I expect great progress from there.

© Pictures: Project Aili - Nordic Priory