Rainbow visits (Oslo, Norway)

Rainbow visits is a volunteer visiting service by and for LGBTQIA+ people and people living with HIV in Oslo. 

The goal of the service is to counteract isolation and loneliness through positive social contact. We do this by matching volunteer befrienders with people who want a befriender for regular visits.

Befrienders need not be health workers or therapists, but people who wish to offer their time. Visits can take place at home or out of the home. A visit usually lasts for 1-2 hours, and it is up to the two of you to decide how you want to spend this time. You can talk, go for a walk, or perhaps you have a common hobby or interest you want to engage in.

Rainbow visits are currently only available in Oslo.

A befriender is a volunteer who wishes to share their time with someone who needs it. A befriender may be old or young, we may be tall or short, we can be trans, genderqueer, queer, pansexual or uncertain, we might be living with HIV, we may be intersex, we may be polyamorous or monogamous, we may have disabilities, we might love working out or knitting or the opera. What we all have in common is a desire to take care of each other and our community, get to know new people, and share our time with someone who is also LGBTQIA+ or living with HIV.

All befrienders go through a mandatory training course and sign confidentiality statements. Volunteers get a designated contact and regular follow-ups with their contact. 

A befriending host is an LGBTQIA+ person or person living with HIV who wants a befriender. There are many reasons we might want a befriender; because we don’t have anyone we can be open about who we are with, because we feel lonely at times, because we want to get to know other people like ourselves, and so on. There are as many reasons to want a befriender as there are befriending hosts, so if you want a befriender then this service is for you!

Process – get at rainbow friend who visits you!

First you registrer – click here!

After you have registered your interest in getting a befriender through the registration the form, or have called us (+47 94 00 36 29) or have written to us via email hei@regnbuevenn.no, a coordinator will contact you. Then we will go through what the service entails, as well as guidelines and rules for the befriending service.

After this the coordinator will try to match you with a befriender they think are suitable. We do our best to make sure the matches are good for both parties. If you approve of the match we then move forvard.

Process – become a volunteer

  1. First you sign up as a volunteer – click here (the form also contains dates for training courses)!
  2. After signing up as a volunteer through the registration form a coordinator will contact you with information and to schedule the training course.
  3. The training course is mandatory and must be completed to become a befriender.
  4. You sign a confidentiality statement.
  5. We move forward after you have completed training course etc..

You will be continuously followed up by the coordinator, who can also be contacted if a problem arises, questions, change of plans, illness, etc. 

There will alsp be 4 volunteer gatherings per year, where we can share experiences, get to know other volunteers and discuss important issues.