Blog
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Shrinking space for civil society
Imagine yourself in a big room. Slowly you realise that the walls and ceiling seem to be moving closer. As you dash to the back wall to stop its movement, the front wall creeps forward, too. The government gives you a set of new rules that should keep the walls where they are. You implement […]
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Women professionals around the world have to fight daily battles besides ‘just’ performing in their jobs
Every year on August 19th we celebrate World Humanitarian Day. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the efforts of professionals supporting people in crises around the world. This year’s theme is dedicated to Women Humanitarians. By choosing this particular group we want to honour women’s tireless efforts to help people in […]
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The Toll of War: How are Syrians standing up on their feet again?
Before, as many Jordanians, we used to take up a two-hour drive to Syria on weekends to enjoy the green nature, stay by the coast, purchase good quality goods, and come back home. After nine years of war, it took us a five-hour drive to reach Damascus, but nothing was the same anymore. The border […]
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Saving futures – the role of education in emergencies
When thinking of children and youth in their usual environment, we think of them amidst their families and friends, in the playground, and first and foremost, in schools. We grow up with school being a natural part of our lives. We are nervous on our first day in school, excited to learn how to read, […]
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The world’s school report is out, and we need to step up our support to displaced youth
Finland is now in a position to lead on continued support to education for displaced children to ensure a more peaceful world. Finland is also in a unique position to more actively connect education in emergencies with vocational education – the two must go together if we are to break the vicious circle of displacement […]
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FCA as a faith-based organisation
Irrelevant of the faith group you may belong to, we all benefit from the building of an equitable, inclusive and just society. Helsinki HO recently invited the FCA Cambodia team to join a Skype meeting on what it means to represent a Faith Based Organisation (FBO). It was an insightful discussion and made us think […]
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Truth, you are fired – and this is what peace practitioners can do about it
We are living in the age of post-truth. Post-truth, because truth appears to be no longer relevant; it does not seem to matter if you tell the truth or lie. The value of a message lies within its entertainment value – how provocative it is and how it attracts annoyed masses.
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Women contribute to a culture of violence and should therefore be involved in resolving conflicts
I believe there are vast opportunities for women to engage and claim their role in peacebuilding at the local level. This in itself is a gradual process that we should be willing to take.
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Fighting for better financing for education – on the Southern streets or in the Northern corridors of power?
How is advocacy best done for financing of education and the SDG goal 4, especially in situations of emergency and conflict? Is good advocacy about gathering evidence and data, and then meeting influential people with fat check-books? Or is it better to be out on the streets, mobilising grass-roots and sharing stories of injustice? When […]
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Grenade strike at a football game left 15-year-old Abdusalaam handicapped and changed his future
I was in Mafraqi, on the Jordanian side near the Syrian border, watching as people arrived at a prosthesis clinic to be treated. Many of the arrivals had lost a leg or an arm in the war across the border. They had been brought across the border to receive treatment, since there was none on […]
