Finnish Refugee Council

National Network
Finland
Address

Elimäenkatu 15, 3. kerros
00510 Helsinki
Finland

Telephone
+358 9 6962 640
Telephone (other)
+358 9 6962 649
Fax
+358 9 6962 6466
E-Mail
toimisto@pakolaisapu.fi
E-Mail (2)
annu.lehtinen@pakolaisapu.fi
Mobile Phone
+358405415453
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
1965
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. Environment/Sustainable development
  3. Gender
  4. Human rights
  5. Youth and education
General Information
The Finnish Refugee Council was established in 1965. Along the decades the Refugee Council has evolved from a small actor dedicated to raising funds for the UN Refugee Agency into an NGO with numerous projects of its own. The FRC is a politically and religiously non-aligned non-governmental organization that cooperates with the UNHCR.
Mission and Objectives

The Finnish Refugee Council is an international specialist in refugee work. Its mission is to improve the basic rights of refugees, immigrants and returnees. The underlying principle is to support activity and participation among refugees. Project beneficiaries are involved in project activities from the planning phase onwards, in order to ensure that they identify with them and feel like their needs are paid attention to. The objective is that refugees improve their capacity to help themselves and their families.

Main Projects / Activities

The underlying principle is to support activity and participation among refugees. Project beneficiaries are involved in project activities from the planning phase onwards, in order to ensure that they identify with them and feel like their needs are paid attention to. FRC’s work abroad concentrates on the realisation of fundamental rights of refugees during refuge and after the repatriation process is over. Activities enhance poverty reduction and empowerment through education. Peace and Building People who have run away from a crisis are in great need of education. Return to war torn areas is difficult and help is needed, not only in basic skills training and the reconstruction of infrastructure but also in restarting peaceful cohabitation amongst communities. Currently FRC focuses primarily on adult education. The syllabus includes topics on health, hygiene, environmental protection and civic rights in addition to reading, writing and arithmetic. The majority of participants are women because their level of education and their status in refugee settlements and returnee communities are inferior to those of men. Currently the FRC works with refugees and returnees in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Thailand. In Finland, the Refugee Council's social and educational work with immigrants and refugees started in the late 1990s. At the moment, the Finnish Refugee Council has offices in Finland in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku. Support for organizations, peer support, good living, courses that ease everyday problems, influence and information - this is all part of the work of the Finnish Refugee Council in Finland. The organization incubator is a project that offers information and support to immigrants for founding and running NGOs. The Kotilo-project develops tools for better living and helps solve conflicts between neighbors. Face to Face offers immigrants a possibility to handle personal questions in peer support groups. The VertaisKoto project develops a new model for refugee integration, coupling informative courses and peer support. The Finnish Refugee Council spreads information about refugee- and immigrant -related topics and publishes the magazine Pakolainen(Refugee). The Finnish Refugee Council partakes in discussion and policymaking on refugees and immigration. An essential basis for the work of the Refugee Council is broad cooperation with other NGOs and officials. The Finnish Refugee Council awards each year the title of Refugee Woman of the Year to a woman who has found an active place in Finnish society despite the burden of a refugee existance.

Contact (1) Full Name
Kim Remitz
Head of the organisation
Annu Lehtinen