“We don’t have any socks – would you have any?”
When Harri Kröger and Anita Pylvänäinen Kröger received a donation of 3,000 pairs of bamboo socks, they didn’t know that they would fill the everyday need of people fleeing from Ukraine.
Remember Katja? She has fled Ukraine
Katja, familiar from Fida’s Spark of Hope campaign, fled to Hungary with her children – “We’re praying for peace so we can return home”
Fida’s team is on site in Hungary
Hungary’s Záhony is flooded with Ukrainian refugees. The small quiet border town has turned into a mass of people in just over a week. The situation is similar in Tiszabecs. Fida’s team is now on the scene in Hungary.
Ukraine-aid launched
Fida’s humanitarian aid has begun in Ukraine and Hungary. Partners hosting refugees are distributing the support. A Fida worker says that vulnerable refugees near the border face the threat of human trafficking.
Fida is fundraising emergency aid for Ukraine
Fida is preparing to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is causing a humanitarian emergency. Employees of Fida’s partner churches reported on Thursday morning that water has been cut off in the town of Šostka, 40 kilometres from the Russian border in northern Ukraine, and fuel will soon run out. People are panicking, a lot of people have nowhere to go.
Fida’s Development Cooperation work in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and conflicts between different groups of people have been going on in the country for decades. Development has been slowed down by armed conflicts, natural disasters, and the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of the conflicts, the number of internally displaced persons is increasing, food resources are dwindling, and the Tigray region is threatened with famine. Youth unemployment and the exclusion of women and young people from peace-building are also major societal challenges.
Missionary work in Ethiopia
Finnish missionary work has played a major role in the growth of Pentecostalism in Ethiopia. The membership of Pentecostal partner churches working with Fida exceeds an incredible 10 million. Sanfrid and Anna-Liisa Mattson were the first Pentecostal missionaries in Ethiopia. They arrived in the country in 1951.
I wish our children didn’t have to go through mutilation
Melita Koye, from Kenya, gave up on the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) after understanding its harmfulness. Today, she does awareness work against FMG, supported by her church and Fida.
Village Saving and Loan groups improve quality of life
The Village Saving and Loan Association groups have empowered women economically. The livelihoods and financial wellbeing of households have improved.
A dream born in crafts class
Ononna, from Bangladesh, has been able to go to school with the support of sponsors. The eighth grader is happy about this, because the family’s income would not have been enough for her education.