African Care ry is a non-governmental organization operating from Helsinki. It was founded in 2001 by women of African descent, working as health care professionals and social workers. In Finland, African Care strengthens the societal position of immigrant women and their families. The focus is on holistically supporting women’s health and wellbeing. Our activities in Helsinki are free of charge for our participants and all women from immigrant backgrounds are welcome.
In addition to the work we do in Helsinki, African Care also coordinates a development project in Southern Somalia. The project strengthens women’s access to safe maternal care in an area of Somalia where access to safe health care is not a given.
All African Care’s projects and activities revolve around the themes of health, education and gender equality. We aim to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to reduce discrimination by promoting open dialogue and equal participation. Our projects strive to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health and to prevent domestic violence, honor crimes and female genital mutilation through empowering and educating communities, women and girls in particular, about safe sexual practices and human rights. All our work, in Finland and Somalia, centers the realization of women’s rights as human rights. We want to see a world where women, even in vulnerable positions, have equal access to services, can voice their opinions freely and be safe from gender based violence.
Women’s wellbeing groups in Helsinki.
Our groups are open to all women from immigrant backgrounds. The groups have different themes relating to health and well-being based on the participants’ wishes. African Care’s employees lead discussions and activities together with visiting experts. During groups the primary language used is Finnish but multilingual peer counsellors help with translation. A babysitter takes care of children during the group activities. All activities are currently organized at African Care’s group facilities in Rastila.
On Mondays, the Aila-group, focuses on family well-being. Various experts visit the group to discuss different themes such as parenting, the education system and family services. This group is significant, because for some of our clients, this is the first opportunity to get important information which is relevant to their lives.
“It is extremely hard for women from immigrant backgrounds to integrate into Finnish society if they don’t know how the society functions. We offer a place where women can get more information and interact with others in a safe environment. Supporting women is our number one goal!” says project planner Fathi Osman.
African Care offers free-of-charge advisory service every Tuesdays for immigrants on issues related to everyday life in Finland (e.g. Finnish language courses, working life, education). African Care is one of the few organizations in East-Helsinki that offers multilingual advisory services. We believe it is very important that women from immigrant backgrounds can become independent and self-sufficient.
Our meeting cafe is meant for learning more Finnish by playing or doing fun activities. The aim is to learn about Finnish culture and society by visiting different places. In this group native Finns are also welcome and the goal is to encourage intercultural interaction. “It is important that women from immigrant backgrounds have interaction with native Finns, because it will help in learning more Finnish and getting a broader view into the Finnish society.” explains Fathi Osman
In the Women’s club, our aim is to give an opportunity for our clients to teach other women new skills such as crafts, sewing and arts. The activities in this group are designed mostly by volunteers. African Care wants to utilize the capabilities and skills of women from immigrant backgrounds and offer a platform for skills sharing.
Women’s physical well-being is very important, so in our Ilona-group activities are based on playing different sports indoors and outdoors. The clients abilities are taken into account and activities are planned according to our clients’ wishes.
Additionally, African Care organizes a homework Club, which is an after-school program where volunteers provide homework assistance to students from immigrant backgrounds. Women’s swimming group is organized on Saturdays. Occasionally finnish language courses are available in cooperation with schools and volunteers.
African Care’s group activities are supported by STEA (Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus, Funding centre for social welfare and health organisations).
Development cooperation in Southern Somalia.
Over the years African Care has coordinated several development projects in Somalia and currently we coordinate a project in Southern Somalia with the financial support of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and private donors.
Our ongoing project, the Maternity Clinic and Training project, addresses key challenges to women’s health prominent in Somalia. Somalia’s maternity and infant mortality rates are amongst the highest in the world and majority of women undergo female genital mutilation during their lifetime. “According to global statistics Somalia is one of the most dangerous places to give birth. This is mostly due to the fact that there are limited maternal health facilities and for many they are hard to reach for example due to their distance or cost. There also aren’t enough trained professionals to secure safe delivery for all expecting mothers” explains African Care’s project coordinator Nur Mohamud. The Maternity Clinic and Training project aims to make safe maternal health care services available to women in vulnerable positions due to conflict, financial status, internal displacement, distance from care facilities and violence against women.
Our current project supports a maternity clinic located in Afgoye, Somalia. The project strengthen the skills of local health care workers and traditional birthattendants, increases awareness of the harms of female genital mutilation amongst parents as well as provides support for women and girls who have experienced gender based violence in the reagion.
The Clinic is the only maternity clinic in the area that offers free of charge maternal health services every day of the year. “Hospitals and maternity clinics that charge a fee are not an option for many individuals who live on a very small daily income”, explains Nur Mohamud.
The Maternity Clinic and Training project supports local health care professionals in strengthening their skills and provides additional training for traditional birth attendants in the region. As many women live far away from maternal health facilities, traditional birth attendants hold an important role in the safe delivery of children and maternal care before delivery. As part of the project, traditional birth attendants have been trained to better recognize under risk pregnancies, so that women can seek care at the Clinic sooner and in this way have the support of skilled maternal health staff during delivery.
Annually, around 1000 babies are born and more than 4000 women receive support at some stage of their pregnancy at the Clinic. In addition to maternal health care the Clinic also offers support for other outpatients with minor health care needs such as wounds or infections. Everyone has the right to a safe delivery and with our work in Southern Somalia we want to contribute to the realization of this right.
Looking forward to 2021.
The year 2021 is a big year for African Care ry, as the organization celebrates its 20th birthday. The organization has developed and grown a lot since its foundation and the whole team is proud to celebrate all that has been achieved during that time. The organization’s birthday will be celebrated throughout the year on social media and through different events, but to launch the birthday year African Care will organize a celebratory webinar on the 4th of February. You can join the festivities by following our Facebook and Instagram accounts for more information.
Want to join us?
If you are interested in joining African Care ry’s activities, there are many ways in which you can join!
Our weekly groups are open to all women from immigrant backgrounds and you are free to come and join our groups. All activities start up again in January and you can check on our website for an updated schedule and sign up by contacting our planner Fathi Osman or coordinator Paula Heikkilä. You can also join our closed Facebook group, where we organize online sessions. Join the group by searching for AC Ryhmätoiminta on Facebook.
You can also contribute to our work by volunteering. As an African Care volunteer, you can work in many different roles according to your wishes and skills. For example, in the women’s homework club, as an organizer of small group activities, develop our meeting café or be involved in organizing activities for children. You can use your own skills or hobbies to create content for groups. It is also possible for the volunteer to work remotely or on site in African Care’s group activities in Rastila. We offer our volunteers guidance and a wonderful working environment with a great atmosphere.
So if you’d like to join our activities, start volunteering or cooperate with us, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always up for new participants and ideas!
You can find us on:
www.africancare.fi
Facebook @African Care ry
Instagram @africancare
SnapChat @africancare_ry
