There are a lot of charity organizations these days, and one of the biggest ones focused on helping
children and youth is World Vision. At the heart of this organization is Christian love for others.
Their vision is that every child should have a chance in life and be part of a greater mission.
Improving living conditions for children in target countries and providing humanitarian aid to victims
of natural disasters and conflicts are just some of the tasks World Vision takes on. The main focus
is acting out of love for others, promoting hope and a sense of partnership.
World Vision started its work in Finland in 1983 when translator Ulla Tervo began a sponsorship for
a young boy in the Philippines. International sponsorship efforts, however, kicked off way earlier, in
the 1950s, thanks to an American correspondent and pastor, Bob Pierce. He began giving $5 a
month to help an orphaned girl in Asia, ensuring she could go to school and receive healthcare.
Even today, the organization helps nearly 2 million children worldwide, working with local partners
in places like Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Picture 1. Indonesia.
INTERNATIONAL COURSE AT THE DIACONIA COLLEGE IN HELSINKI
My thoughts go back to the fall of 1994 when I was studying an advanced studies in
internationalization of social welfare and health care at the Diaconia College in Helsinki. The
course covered a wide range of topics related to international development, like refugee work,
global systems, multiculturalism, the work environment in Europe, and world religions, as well as
language and communication.
After all the exams and lectures were done, there was still a six-week international practical
training ahead. My classmate Tarja (a radiographer) and I ended up choosing Indonesia as our
destination, specifically projects run by World Vision in Jakarta, Semarang, and Bali.
Our choice of destination surprised many since the organization wasn’t well known to most of our
fellow students or even to our teachers. World Vision wasn’t one of the institute’s typical aid
partners at that time.
After many phone calls, letters and telefaxes, we finally arranged with World Vision’s Jakarta office
to participate in their local aid projects, some of which were located in the slums around the city.
MEETINGS IN JAKARTA, A MULTICULTURAL METROPOLIS
After a long 17-hour flight, we arrived in the warm, tropical city of Jakarta, which immediately made
a huge impression on both me and my friend Tarja. With over 10 million residents, this huge
metropolis made Helsinki seem like a small town. Our next big surprise came when we got into a
taxi and navigated through Jakarta’s chaotic traffic, filled with thousands of cars and motorbikes.
Traffic in the city was noisy and overwhelming, so you have to take more time to move one place to
another.
The next day, we met with the staff at World Vision’s Jakarta office, who warmly welcomed us. We
brought a gift from Finland – an Oiva Toikka glass bird – which they greatly appreciated. After a
warm meeting, we continued to a large slum area near the city, where they had several projects in
progress.
Picture 2: Co-operation
We first visited a family whose smiling mother told us that thanks to World Vision’s help, one of
their children could attend school every day. During this visit, we also got to know two small
businesses supported by World Vision, one a small general little shop and the other a bicycle
repair shop in the slum.
Before we left the area, we took a closer look at a sewer and toilet improvement project that had
been started years ago. Improving the sewage system is essential for improving the living
conditions of those in the slums, helping to reduce health issues by preventing the spread of
diseases. We could already see several completed outdoor toilet buildings in the area.
IN THE JUNGLE AT SEMARANG
After a week, we moved on from Jakarta to Semarang, a city on the northern coast of Java, where
a local Catholic priest and his wife greeted us. Our mission was to visit a local orphanage run by a
Finnish woman. The personnel was mostly made up of foreign nurse-students doing volunteer
work. The location of the orphanage in the middle of the jungle, far from everything, surprised us,
even the Catholic priest was a bit confused by our plan to visit there.
Since we had brought along medicines, books, and small toys donated by the Diaconia college
Helsinki, we decided to go with our original plan and made the long journey to the orphanage deep
in the jungle.
Our stay there was short, though, as the living conditions were very basic. We slept in bunk beds,
the toilet was just a hole in the floor, and the showers were outdoors, with the sky as the roof.
Thankfully, we had mosquito nets with us, which we hung over the beds to protect ourselves from
mosquitoes, spiders, and small black geckos.
Picture 3: Courtyard
Our return from the jungle was quite an adventure. We traveled back to Semarang in several
different horse-drawn carts with our big suitcases. Once we got back to the city, all the emotions
from the trip came out, and we both cried some tears of relief. A warm shower, a nice hot meal at
the hotel, and even a sauna helped us recover our energy after the jungle adventure.
BACK IN FINLAND
With our experiences, we returned to Finland as the first students from the Diaconia college to visit
Indonesia World Vision. We gave a presentation at the college about our trip. We wore the batik
dresses and local wooden jewelry we had brought back from Jakarta to give the audience a little
taste of the Indonesian culture.
Now, twenty years later, it’s wonderful to see that World Vision’s work is still going strong, bigger
and better known in Finland and around the world. The need for aid hasn’t disappeared, and
support is still needed. The work continues with great heart, respecting human dignity and human
rights. The journey goes on.
WRITER:
Marjo Lomperi-Ääri, Student of Welfare and Health Coordinator Master’s Degree Program at
Savonia University of Applied Sciences (UAS)
SOURCES:
World Vision. https://www.worldvision.fi/meista/suomen-world-vision/. Referred. 15.10.2024
Jakarta, Indonesian capital. https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakarta. Referred. 14.10.2024