Britta Holmström

Britta Holmström née Ringius (8 April 1911 – 4 October 1992) was a Swedish philanthropist, aid worker and politician. She is remembered for organizing and providing humanitarian assistance for refugees, initially for Czechoslovak Jews in 1938. In May 1944, her efforts led to the founding of Inomeuropeisk Mission (IM) to further the work of assisting and saving refugees. She chaired the organization from 1947 and helped create centres in Sweden to house hundreds of refugees, including many from Nazi concentration camps. IM's activities were later extended to other parts of the world when it became known as Individuell Människohjälp (Individual Humanitarian Help). Holmström received several significant awards for her work and was put forward more than once as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Early life, education and family Born in Sävsjö, southern Sweden, on 8 April 1911, Britta Ringius was the daughter of the timber merchant Erik Johan (John) Ringius and his wife Alma Sofia née Thunander who was active in the Red Cross. The family's first child, she had a sister Inga. Brought up in a Christian household, she attended the Sävsjö elementary school, the girls' school in Jönköping and Lindebergska skolan, the girls' high school in Lund, where she matriculated. She completed her education at Lund University where she graduated in economics, philosophy and history of religion. While in Lund, she married the theology lecturer Folke Holmström in May 1935. The couple had six children.

Career In 1937, Holmström travelled with her husband to Germany where he lectured on behalf of the Nordic Lutheran Academy. She was shocked at how people were suffering under the hardships of Nazi Germany. An article she wrote about her experiences published in Ny kyrklig tidskrift was considered so controversial that her husband lost his job at the university. As a result, the family moved to Linköping where he became a teacher at the Cathedral School. While in Linköping, Britta Holmström founded Linköpings ungdoms- och hemgårdar, an organization for the benefit of the city's unemployed young people.

After the war ended in 1945, IM focused on help for Poland, Germany, Austria and France. In collaboration with Folke Bernadotte who headed the Swedish Red Cross, help centres were established in Sweden for refugees of all origins and beliefs. Hundreds of former concentration camp interns were welcomed to the IM Home (Vrigstadhemmet) in Småland. Stands Manor House in Jönköping, first used as a recreation centre for German and central European children, was used to house girl refugees from Tibet in 1963.

On several occasions, Britta Holmström was put forward as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.