Finn Church Aid expands operation to aid people displaced by war in Ukraine
Finn Church Aid (FCA) announced on Monday that they are scaling up their response to the war in Ukraine by deploying staff in Ukraine and neighbouring countries and expanding their programs beyond immediate aid.
IN RESPONSE to the war, which has forced over three million people to flee Ukraine, FCA announced plans for a multi-country response that includes the deployment of staff to the Ukraine and Hungary. Currently, FCA supports Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) who is assisting people in Hungary, the Transcarpathia region and in Lviv with food, water, hygiene items and life-saving medical equipment.
“Finns have donated generously to our response to aid those who have been affected by the war in Ukraine and we are responding now and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Our experience serving refugees in other countries, particularly in education, will be invaluable in assisting those inside and outside Ukraine, especially women and children,” says Jouni Hemberg, Executive Director, FCA.
15,254 people have already been assisted by the joint efforts of FCA and HIA by the delivery of seven million euro of life-saving medical equipment to Western Ukraine and 278 metric tons of food and other essential items to a number of locations where displaced people are located. HIA has established reception centres for those who have fled the conflict, both on the Hungary-Ukraine border and in Budapest.
“Some of these people have left their home in ten or twenty minutes – they have left everything behind. Their journey to Lviv and further has taken 24 hours or more. Some of the families have been living in shelters for days, even weeks. Their needs at the moment are acute – they are hungry, thirsty and exhausted,” says Ulriikka Myöhänen, FCA spokesperson, who has visited Lviv and other areas in Ukraine in the past week.
People fleeing from Ukraine queuing for train photographed in the beginning of March in the Western city of Lviv. Photo: Antti Yrjönen/FCA
FCA is assessing more partners in countries hosting refugees from Ukraine
Staff from FCA will work in Hungary and Ukraine to support HIA with the management of the response, education in emergencies and communications. FCA is also assessing other partners so that they can expand their operations into other countries that are hosting refugees from Ukraine.
“We pray that peace will come soon but, even if it does, the war has already taken an unimaginable toll on Ukraine and its people. As experts in education, one of the things that we can do is ensure that children continue their education and we aim to find ways to do this for children who have been displaced by this conflict,” says Hemberg.
“All of them worry about the future, how to earn a living and how to get their children to school again,” says Myöhänen.
Contact information:
International Communications Specialist Melany Markham melany.markham[at]kirkonulkomaanapu.fi +45 9194 26709
FCA spokesperson Ulriikka Myöhänen ulriikka.myohanen[a]kirkonulkomaanapu.fi +358 50 576 7948 (on the ground in Ukraine and Hungary)
Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) offers aid at a shelter on the border of Hungary and Ukraine. They are also working in Lviv and the Transcarpathia region in Ukraine.
Finn Church Aid (FCA) announced on Saturday March 5th, 2022 that, in cooperation with Hungarian Interchurch Aid, they are establishing operations in the city of Lviv and in the Transcarpathia region of Ukraine to aid those affected by the war.
AN APPEAL from FCA, the largest aid organisation in Finland, has so far raised euro 2 million for those affected by the conflict. Thousands of people from Kyiv and further east have fled towards the western city of Lviv where FCA’s partner, Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) has established a base for operations.
“As Lviv has yet not been the site of military action, HIA and FCA decided that it was an ideal location from which to help people in Ukraine,” said Jouni Hemberg, Executive Director, FCA. “We have a long relationship with HIA working in other crisis and we work well together. We are already supporting their work aiding refugees on the border of Hungary, so when they decided to establish operations in Lviv, it was with our wholehearted support.”
As an immediate response to the people in Lviv, HIA is planning to meet basic needs with food, water, blankets and soap as they assess how to scale up the operation.
“Waves of displaced people are arriving day by day – by train, by bus, car. Most of them trying to flee to one of the borders. This is the first place where they can feel a moment of safety. Most of the people we have talked to here had to leave with only hours of notice. They packed whatever they could and left most of their belongings behind,” said Giuliano Stochino, Regional Coordinator, HIA, who is based in Lviv.
“It’s relatively safe and organised calm (in Lviv). There’s no panic, rather, an amazing level of humanitarian response to the needs arising. Everybody is trying to help in whatever way that they can, be that from the volunteers who are providing two or three meals at the train station or people working at the coordination points,” said Stochino.
According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) 1.5 million people have been displaced by the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and over a million people have fled across borders during the past week. An indeterminate number of people are displaced within Ukraine, including many migrants and asylum seekers from other countries.
“There is a huge need to scale up this response. We are seeing that people are staying longer; about ten to fifteen percent have declared that they will stay inside the country,” said Stochino.
“We will offer our support to everyone fleeing the conflict, targeting the most vulnerable and those most in need,” said Hemberg. “Over the following days and weeks we will continue to assess and adapt our operations to ensure that we help in the best way possible,” he added.
For an interview with Jouni Hemberg or Guiliano Stochino, please contact:
HELSINKI – Erik Nyström, erik.nystrom(at)kua.fi +358 5038 07250
FCA grants its first euro 1/2 million to aid Ukrainians affected by the conflict
People rest in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine on Thursday 24th February 2022. Photo: AP / LEHTIKUVA / EMILIO MORENATTI
Finn Church Aid (FCA) today pledged euro 1/2 million of its emergency response to aid displaced families in Ukraine and Hungary.
OVER ONE MILLION euro has been donated to FCA since the beginning of on the 24 February and the first part of the grant will help meet the basic needs, such as food, blankets and sleeping bags, of those affected by the conflict in Ukraine and refugees that have arrived in Hungary.
Hungary has received tens of thousands of refugees from the Ukraine. FCA funds Hungarian Interchurch Aid, which works both in Ukraine and Hungary, who is distributing 28 tonnes of food at the border area.
“There has been a profoundly generous response to our appeal for those displaced by the conflict in the Ukraine,” says Jouni Hemberg, Executive Director of Finn Church Aid.
“We are sending half of the funds raised directly to our Hungarian partner, who has established operations in Ukraine and Hungary. At the same time, we are assessing the needs of these people as to how we can help in the days and weeks to come.”
While FCA currently supports those affected by the conflict in Ukraine, it also has the capacity to meet long-term needs, such as food, sanitation, psychosocial support, education in emergencies and livelihoods through its membership of the ACT Alliance.
The need for assistance in Ukraine enormous. In a country of over 40 million people 3 million were already in need of humanitarian assistance before the current war. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that over half a million people have already crossed borders into countries neighbouring Ukraine. The need for assistance is expected to increase dramatically in the following days. Many of those who have fled describe the haste with which they left and their difficult journey.
“The women of my family have decided to take our children away from danger. We went where the car was taking us, I don’t remember most of the journey. My children were asking where are we going and I couldn’t come up with an answer. We heard that the Polish border is completely jammed, so we decided to cross the mountains and try to make it into Hungary. My sister is still on the way, I have no idea where she or my nieces are,” said Yelena, a mother of three children.
“We’ve been standing here at this border checkpoint for more than five hours, it is cold and my children are freezing. It is amazing to see that people are here to help, and even just talking to you gives us hope for a better future ,” she said.
Images of Ukrainian refugees by Antti Yrjönencan be found here -credit Finn Church Aid/Antti Yrjönen For more information or interviews, please contact Melany Markham +45 9194 2670 melany.markham[a]kirkonulkomaanapu.fi
Seeds of new life for those who lost everything in Haiti earthquake
Rebuilding has been slow, following the earthquake that hit Haiti in August 2021. Distribution of seeds and saplings improve food security and help people make a living.
IN AUGUST 2021, a devastating earthquake shattered the lives of tens of thousands of families in southern Haiti. The UN estimated in the autumn that in the regions worst hit by the destruction, Grand’Anse and Nippe, more than 650,000 people were in need of immediate disaster relief.
Due to challenging circumstances, rebuilding has been slow. The Haiti relief operation has been complicated not only by the devastation caused by the earthquake but also by criminal gangs seeking to benefit from the chaos in the region.
In cooperation with its German partner Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) from the ACT Alliance, and the local organisation Fondation Nouvelle Grand’Anse (FNGA), Finn Church Aid’s work in Haiti includes supporting a training focused on farming methods in Haiti, in addition to distributing seed packets. In 2021, 813 people participated in the training, and 810 farmers received packets containing material needed for growing produce such as yams and peppers. The aim of the project is to reach 1,000 people through the training, and to distribute farming assistance to 1,000 farmers.
In addition, families have received assistance in cash, enabling them to buy plantain cuttings from local farmers. Selling cuttings promotes the local economy and supports the livelihood of the farmers while growing plantains for food also helps families.
Mother of five Augustin Magalite picked up seeds and saplings for her garden, in order to secure the livelihood of her family. Photo: DKH
Seeds help to make a fresh start
One of the people picking up the seeds to make a fresh start was mother of five Augustin Magalite, 47. The autumn was a sad time for the family. Magalite’s spouse had recently passed away, and her cousin disappeared in the August earthquake while in the yard at home. The son of another cousin was shot, and was seriously injured. Even one of Magalite’s children was hurt during the earthquake.
Life suddenly became rough, and there was a shortage of everything.
“Without this assistance, we wouldn’t be able to grow anything in our garden this year. All my money went to the funeral of my spouse, who died in the autumn. This arrived just in time, like a breath of fresh air,” says Magalite after receiving seeds and saplings to secure the family’s food supply.
The Magalite family is no stranger to devastation caused by natural disasters. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti and took their home. Rebuilding their life is all too familiar.
“Now I can grow food for my children and sell some of the crops in order to earn money.”
After the earthquake took everything, a garden of one’s own provides a livelihood
Life has also been hard for Marie Milianne, 53. Like Magalite, the widowed mother of five rebuilt her life after the 2016 hurricane. Her house was almost completed when she lost it in the August earthquake. Unlike Magalite, Milianne says that she has received disaster relief in the form of hygiene supplies and shelter.
For Milianne, who supports herself by farming, having a garden of her own is a necessity. She tells us that she shares her farming expertise with others who have received seeds and saplings as relief, and soon she hopes to have saved enough money to be able to buy livestock.
Farmer Dieudonné Victorin, along with his donkey, picked up seeds and saplings distributed to victims of the earthquake. He believes that they will help him secure a better livelihood for his family and allow him to help others as well. Photo: DKH
Farmer and father of four Dieudonné Victorin, 54, lost both his home and his brother in the August earthquake. In the autumn, an emergency shelter set up in the neighbour’s yard has served as home for the family.
“I’m sowing these seeds to grow crops with which I can also help my sisters and brothers,” says Victorin.
As a professional farmer he believes that the seeds he received as relief will provide good crops. Still, he also hopes to receive assistance in cash, which he could use to buy the supplies that his family needs.
Finn Church Aid has supported the Haiti relief operation from its disaster fund. A total of 200,000 euros has been allocated to the operation.
To provide immediate emergency relief in the Grand’Anse region in Haiti, FCA’s partner organisations DKH and FNGA have already provided 1,005 families with shelter serving as housing, as well as basic food products. An additional 1,005 families have received hygiene supplies. Relief distribution continues in the region, and 1,000 families are provided with cash assistance allowing them to buy necessities such as groceries or equipment used for rebuilding.
In addition to cash assistance, 16 local loan groups granting microloans are set up in the region. These microloans are used to support the livelihood and survival of 16,500 people after the earthquake.
Text: Elisa Rimaila Translation: Leena Vuolteenaho
Drought and famine threaten the lives of 60 million people in East Africa
Somalia, the northern parts of Kenya and southern Ethiopia are the areas worst affected by a drought that has caused a prolonged hunger crisis.
AN EXTENDED drought has led to a major humanitarian crisis in East Africa, particularly in parts of Somalia, southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Meanwhile South Sudan, which has been suffering from a bad drought for a long time, is flooded.
Since autumn 2020, seasonal rainfall in the Horn of Africa has been delayed three times. The underlaying causes are climate change and the La Niña event which cools down seawater in the Pacific Ocean. The current drought is expected to continue well into spring 2022.
Children are at particular risk
In November, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that famine would threaten nearly 60 million people in East Africa. Save the Children said in early December that this year hunger had caused the deaths of an estimated 260,000 children under the age of five in East Africa. Without emergency humanitarian assistance, this figure is expected to increase.
This December, more than 1.7 million children under the age of five suffered from acute malnutrition and 213,000 children in the same age group suffered from severe malnutrition in Kenya and Somalia alone.
Drought endangers livelihoods in areas that are already vulnerable, and children’s schooling may be interrupted due to illness and poor nutrition.
Bones of dead animals scatter the roadside half an hour away from Lokichar, Turkana, Kenya. Many pastoralists have lost their livestock like goats, camels, cows and sheep to drought. Photo: Tatu Blomqvist / Finn Church Aid
Hunger weakens the immune system
Risto Härmä, Head of Humanitarian Assistance for the Middle East and East Africa at Finn Church Aid (FCA), says that as prolonged starvation weakens the immune system, people are exposed to various infectious diseases. For young children, ordinary diarrhoea becomes deadly when their body is already exhausted and proper treatment is not available.
“Drought-affected areas are very remote and the journey to the clinic can be very long, if not impossible,” says Härmä.
Treatment at a medical clinic is needed for people whose bodies are no longer able to consume ordinary food after prolonged malnutrition, even when it is available.
Hunger threatens Somalia again
Somalia suffered a bad famine in 2011 when more than a quarter of a million people died of starvation, half of them young children. There are fears that a similar disaster is about to happen again.
“Here in Somalia, more than 80 per cent of the country has been exposed to either a very severe or moderate drought,” says Ikali Karvinen, Director of FCA’s Country Office in Somalia.
Drought has the most perilous consequences on those living in rural and remote areas, where people earn their livelihood from farming and raising livestock. When animals run out of grazing lands and water, people also face an increased risk of famine.
“One fifth of the population lives in areas suffering from severe water shortages. It is estimated that by the end of 2021, the food security of 3.5 million people may be threatened,” says Karvinen.
State of emergency declared in parts of Somalia
A state of emergency has been declared in some Somali states due to the drought. The crisis has caused a sharp rise in prices, undermining the purchasing power of Somalis. An acute shortage of cash has forced some people in need of money to make quick decisions, such as selling their livestock.
“This is going to be a prolonged crisis. At the moment, it doesn’t look good,” says Karvinen.
Finn Church Aid receives funding from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) for an education and training project that aims to keep children in school in the face of a complex crisis. The humanitarian disaster in Somalia has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the protracted terrorist threat and the Somali government’s poor ability to provide basic services to citizens.
Afghan families receive food and blankets for a cold winter
FCA’s partner organisation HIA-Hungary has been working in Afghanistan since 2001 to deliver humanitarian assistance and engage in development cooperation. A water storage canal is being built near Mazar-i-Sharif. Photo: Giuliano Stochino Weiss / HIA-Hungary
The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen in Afghanistan. The latest estimates reveal severe food insecurity, with 95 per cent of the people facing hunger.
FINN CHURCH AID has begun delivering emergency assistance to Afghanistan together with its partner organisation, HIA-Hungary. Together they have allocated 200,000 euros for emergency assistance, including food and winter kits to keep people warm as the weather gets colder.
The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, a country with a population of 40 million, continues to deepen. More than 40 years of war, a conflict which has escalated in recent months, poverty, the Covid-19 pandemic and a changing climate are now threatening the Afghan food security.
Due to the current situation, many international organisations and funding providers have left the country. Amidst the crisis, the banking system has broken down, income opportunities have reduced and food prices increased.
Majority of Afghans do not have enough to eat
According to the World Food Programme, 95 per cent of Afghans are not consuming enough food and half of the population suffers from acute food shortages.
“I live hand to mouth on my small salary as a guard in a private hospital. Prices go up every day, making it hard for me to support my family. Now I have no choice but to bring home leftover food from my workplace,” says Mohammad, who lives in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Sayed, who lives in the same area, says he was an apprentice in a workshop before the situation escalated.
“I earned about 6,000 Afghani (57 euros) a month. Now I don’t have that job anymore. I have a wheelbarrow, so I get odd jobs and earn 80 to 100 Afghanis (less than a euro) a day. I can’t forget the time when we didn’t have oil for cooking for almost a week. I had to borrow money to buy some,” Sayed says.
As a result of the crisis, many have lost their livelihoods, making it impossible for them to meet basic needs without outside help.
Blankets for a cold winter
Finn Church Aid and HIA-Hungary distribute aid in the Balkh and Samangan provinces in northern Afghanistan. Their aim is to reach around 14,000 of the most vulnerable people.
Their assistance especially targets women and children, people with disabilities or in poor health, and people who live in tents or have taken in other families in need of help. The food aid distributed to families includes wheat flour, rice, vegetable oil, beans and biscuits. The cold winter is also a concern for many locals.
“I’m worried because my kids need warm clothes. My main concern is that getting supplies to make bread has become difficult,” says Bibi, a widowed mother of five children living in northern Afghanistan. One of the goals of Finn Church Aid and HIA-Hungary’s emergency assistance is to distribute warm blankets to 2,000 households.
HIA-Hungary has been working in Afghanistan since 2001 to deliver humanitarian assistance and engage in development cooperation. The organisation has projects across several provinces. The new aid operation will run from October to March 2022.
Names have been changed due to security concerns.
For more information, please contact:
Jan De Waegemaeker, Humanitarian Assistance Specialist, tel. +358 50 574 0481, jan.de.waegemaeker@kua.fi. Enquiries and interviews in English.
Tomi Järvinen, Deputy Executive Director, tel. +358 40 641 8209, tomi.jarvinen@kua.fi. Interviews in Finnish and English.
World Humanitarian Day: Climate change is set to overload the humanitarian aid sector
A woman receives beans during an ACT Alliance distribution in South Sudan. Photo by Paul Jeffrey
AS WE CELEBRATE World Humanitarian Day on August 19, we honour the humanitarian aid workers who provide life-saving assistance worldwide. Assistance is often delivered in harsh and dangerous contexts. Now, climate change is snowballing the number and intensity of natural disasters and triggers armed conflicts. In 2021, 1 in 33 persons worldwide are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.
Humanitarian aid workers will continue to deliver aid at a time that is code red for humanity: with climate change, we are facing the biggest challenges in human history. Humankind is causing global environmental emergencies, from climate change with overconsumption of natural resources to biodiversity loss and the destruction of habitats. This is an ultimatum to the realisation of our fundamental human rights and a threat for all life on our planet. Everyone is affected, and even more so, the vulnerable communities that FCA, among others, is working with.
We are committed to addressing the climate and environmental crises, both through our programmes and our ways of working.
Jan De Waegemaeker – FCA Humanitarian Manager Aly Noyola Cabrera – Climate Action Specialist
Finn Church Aid grants 100,000 euros to support earthquake victims in Haiti
AP/Lehtikuva
Finn Church Aid (FCA) has granted 100,000 euros from its disaster fund to support the victims of Saturday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti.
The 7.2 earthquake magnitude quake brought widespread destruction to the country’s southern parts, razing buildings and cutting transport connections. Thousands are reported dead, injured or missing.
According to current estimates, the earthquake has affected 60 per cent of the country’s population while the country is bracing for the impact of the tropical storm Grace that is estimated to reach Haiti on Monday or Tuesday.
FCA delivers emergency assistance in cooperation with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and other ACT Alliance members currently working in Haiti. The relief efforts required include basic necessities, such as food, hygiene kits, blankets and shelter.
More information: Eija Alajarva, Head of Humanitarian Assistance, p. +358 40 582 1183, eija.alajarva(at)kirkonulkomaanapu.fi Jan De Waegemaeker, Humanitarian Manager, p.+358 50 574 0481, jan.de.waegemaeker(at)kua.fi.
Finn Church Aid prepares to support relief efforts after a 7,2-magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti
A powerful earthquake hit Haiti Saturday Morning. First reports indicate that hundreds of people have died, others are hurt or still missing. Over a thousand houses have been destroyed; the roads and the infrastructure are significantly damaged. FCA is closely following the situation and is ready to join the emergency response.
The worst disaster areas are located in the south of the country. The 7,2 magnitude earthquake was about 12 kilometers northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud and 150 kilometers from the capital Port-au-Prince. It was followed by several more aftershocks.
The need for aid work is difficult to estimate because in addition to the earthquakes the political situation in the country is sensitive, the Covid-19 situation is getting worse and a tropical storm is approaching the area.
Haiti was last struck by the same magnitude earthquake in 2010. It left hundreds of thousands people dead and injured and left millions homeless. The country is still recovering from that.
As I am writing this, the Covid-19 pandemic is dominating the news and daily politics for the second year running. In fact, this topic has overshadowed other news to such an extent that it is hard to remember what went on in the world before Covid-19 testing, vaccines and coronavirus variants. Climate change, protracted conflicts, swarms of locusts destroying crops – does any of that ring a bell?
The work carried out by Finn Church Aid focuses on providing education, securing livelihoods and building peace. The objective of long-term development cooperation is to help entire communities become stable and self-sufficient.
We also respond to more urgent needs. After a massive explosion in the port of Lebanon’s capital Beirut in August 2020, we delivered emergency assistance to those affected. When Covid-19 stopped trade and food deliveries at state borders in several parts of the world, we continued to provide emergency food assistance.
Some of the areas where we promote development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and peace do naturally overlap, just as global crises are inextricably intertwined. Many of our programme countries faced profound challenges even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Changes in climate and protracted conflicts have caused food crises, health crises and displacement of millions of people.
In South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, devastating floods have left two thirds of the country’s 11 million inhabitants in need of some form of humanitarian assistance as they are suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition.
Syria also has a disastrous decade of suffering behind it. This conflict-ridden country has spiralled into an economic crisis that, for Syrian people, translates into a shortage of food and lost income opportunities. An entire generation of children has gone to school in emergency conditions.
Muhammad Abdo Hijzai from East Ghouta is a 13-year-old boy who participated in remedial education in, for example, mathematics, supported by Finn Church Aid. Photo: Abu Talib Al-Buhaya.
The global pandemic has ruthlessly exposed the weaknesses of many countries. In Nepal, more than 25 per cent of the country’s GDP has in recent years consisted of remittances by Nepalese working abroad. With the pandemic forcing migrant workers to return home, families have struggled for more than a year, trying to cope without an adequate income to guarantee a decent living.
But the pandemic has not brought all progress to a halt, even if we sometimes feel like it. In a number of projects, the situation has forced us to take a big leap forward in technology. For instance, in Kenya we distributed radios to enable women to participate in peace dialogues. Our objective in such projects was to make communities better equipped to resolve conflicts involving natural resources.
Without a doubt, we will face more challenges in the future. Our climate is becoming increasingly harsh, and in these changing conditions, it is likely that more epidemics will circulate in the population. Natural disasters will force people to leave their homes in growing numbers. According to forecasts, a high population growth rate in Africa will result in massive migration within the continent.
But the good news is that resilient societies are able to take better precautions and prepare for disasters. In time, the Covid-19 crisis will pass, and this is when Finn Church Aid’s efforts to improve education, support livelihoods and forge peace will bear fruit and produce even more tangible results. Those who have participated in our projects have been building a stronger foundation for their lives, enabling them to pursue a brighter future.
Ulriikka Myöhänen, Communications Specialist.
This text twas originally published in our Annual Report 2020 that came out recently. Would you like to know more about what was done?
