We are delighted to announce that Lahti Diaconia Foundation has joined our Membership.

Our European diaconal network is now represented by 55 Members across the continent – all working hard to achieve a socially just and equal Europe for all.

Lahti Diaconia Foundation supplements and offers alternative educational services and social services in Lahti, Finland. It provides diaconal services in areas of greatest need and with no other sources of assistance and develops services to meet people’s social needs.

They have a special focus on services for the elderly (sheltered housing), for young people (employment services, education) and families (health care and wellbeing services). In addition, they coordinate work of over 300 volunteers. They also have developed a unique model for supported volunteering, which helps people with disadvantages to operate as volunteers. Their expertise is mentalisation-based parenting group intervention developed within their family services.

 In its application form, the Lahti Diaconia Foundation states that they wish to have Membership of Eurodiaconia because: “We want to join Eurodiaconia because we want to find new strategic companionship to develop our services. In addition, we are interested in finding research partners. We can bring our expertise to the network: Finnish social and health care system and services (in particular services for elderly), innovative ways to help unemployed young people to rehabilitate and find work for themselves”

 Commenting on our new Membership, Secretary General Heather Roy said:

“”I am delighted to welcome Lahti to our Membership. Having been aware of their work for many years, I am very pleased that their extensive experience will now be part of the Eurodiaconia network and look forward to all that they will bring to our work.”