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Caritas Finland

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Caritas Finland
Suomen Caritas ry
Suomen Caritas
Formation22 October 1960; 64 years ago (22 October 1960)[1]
TypeNonprofit
Purposesocial justice
Location
Servicesdevelopment aid, social services
Secretary General
Larissa Franz-Koivisto
President
Raimo Goyarrola
AffiliationsCaritas Europa, Caritas Internationalis, Finnish Ecumenical Council
Websitewww.caritas.fi

Caritas Finland in English and Swedish or Suomen Caritas in Finnish is a Catholic aid organisation from Finland. It is part of the European network of Caritas organisations Caritas Europa, as well of the global Caritas Internationalis confederation.[2]

History

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In October 1960, Caritas Finland emerged from the Katrina Association, which had been founded in 1927.[1] Its values and work are rooted in Catholic social teaching.

In 2011, Bishop Emeritus Teemu Sippo began to integrate Caritas Finland into the Catholic diocese. This initiative followed Pope Benedict's decision to appoint Caritas as the official aid and development cooperation organisation of the Catholic Church. Caritas Finland was reformed and established in its current form in 2015 with new statutes to meet the management standards of Caritas Internationalis.[3] Larissa Franz-Koivisto was appointed as the first Secretary General.[4]

Caritas Finland is a partnership organisation of the Finnish Ecumenical Council,[5] a member of the Finnish development NGO network FINGO, and of the Blue Ribbon Foundation (Sininauhaliitto), a network of experts in homelessness and substance abuse services.[6][7] The Blue Ribbon Foundation is also a member of the European Anti Poverty Network.

Work

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In Finland, Caritas primarily works with immigrants in cooperation with Catholic parishes. In recent years, Caritas Finland has expanded its operations. It is part of Helsinki's Stadin Safka network, which utilizes food that would otherwise go to waste. In 2022, through events organised every other week at the Caritas office, more than 500 food aid bags were distributed to persons in need. Caritas also offers guidance and counselling services on issues such as residence permits, employment, and housing. Additionally, it organises "friendship cafés" and excursions aimed at creating social links between people.[3][8]

At the international level, Caritas Finland supports development cooperation projects in Latin America, Asia and Africa with local partners and other European Caritas organisations.[4]

Caritas Finland receives financial support from individuals through membership fees and donations, communities, and public sector actors in Finland. It does not receive any financial support from the Catholic Church of Finland.[9] The organisation also works with volunteers. The office of Caritas Finland is located in the Meilahti neighbourhood of Helsinki, where the organisation also operates a small shop.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Caritas is celebrating its 60th anniversary". caritas.fi. September 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Nicaragua presente en kermés de Cáritas Finlandia". el19digital.com (in Spanish). 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Marko Tervaportti (27 May 2024). "Caritas tänään ja huomenna". fides.katolinen.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Caritas on heikoimmassa asemassa olevan puolella". fides.katolinen.fi (in Finnish). 8 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Jäsenkunta ("Members")". Finnish Ecumenical Council (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Fingo Programme 2022-2025" (PDF). fingo.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Sininauhaliiton jäsenjärjestöt". sininauhaliitto.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Kumaja kylässä: Suomen Caritas ry". kumaja.fi (in Finnish). 28 February 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Suomen Caritas ry". Globaalikasvatus (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
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