History
How did it all begin?
The story of Child Hug Uganda – Finland ry (CHUF) started when the current chair Linda Lammensalo got to know the work of Child Hug Uganda, when she was working in Uganda in 2018. The work of the Ugandan organisation immediately impressed Lammensalo. She was inspired by Child Hug Uganda’s guiding principles of putting the needs of local people first and investing in healthcare and education to improve the quality of life of vulnerable people. Soon after getting to know each other, the founding members of Child Hug Uganda asked Lammensalo to join their organisation, and hence began the idea of starting a sister organisation also in Finland.
In Finland Child Hug Uganda Finland ry became a registered organisation on 12.9.2018, originally under the name Child Hug International ry. The four founding members of CHUF have studied together in Scotland, where all of them were also active in Amnesty UK. Human rights advocacy and enhancing global solidarity are therefore the key themes of the organisation also here in Finland.
As a sister organisation of Child Hug Uganda (CHU), CHUF works in close contact with the people in Uganda. The organisations coordinate their activities and CHUF actively seeks to support the activities of CHU for example in administrative level. CHU’s is responsible for practical and setting the key organisational priorities according to the local needs.
At the beginning of 2019, Child Hug Uganda family grew again when a new sister organisation was founded in Denmark called Child Hug Uganda – Denmark (CHUD). As a result of this enlargement, the brand of CHU family was also unified. This also meant that the name of the organisation in Finland changed from Child Hug International ry to its current form Child Hug Uganda – Finland ry.
Aims and emphasis
Our advocacy is divided into two parts: in Finland and internationally. The aim of international advocacy is to support permanent positive change and build a more sustainable society of the future with the locals, which will offer opportunities to those in vulnerable positions to decide on their life. We want to be an organisation that develops better policies for the health, education, and security of those in vulnerable positions.
Our advocacy within Finland aims to increase peoples’ understanding of development cooperation’s importance. We encourage people to be active citizens and consider how they can impact global equity with their actions. We want to strengthen the awareness of sharing responsibility internationally and add to peoples’ interest in volunteer work, for instance.
Motto
Together for a more just world.
Vision
CHUF is a not-for-profit NGO that wants to contribute to the construction of a better world, where everyone’s basic needs are secured, and they have a chance to fulfil their dreams regardless of their starting point
