SOS Children's Village and DNA continue their partnership

At the heart of SOS Children's Village Association Finland are its homes in SOS children’s villages in Kaarina, Espoo, Vihanti, Punkaharju, Tampere and Ylitornio. In these homes, children taken into care can live an ordinary life with their foster parents. The association also has an adolescent home in Jyväskylä and a camping centre in Pello. The core mission of the association is to help children who are without parental security, or who are in danger of losing their parents.
 
“The work done by SOS Children's Village is crucial and our partnership has been rewarding. They provide children and young people with a home-like environment and plan support measures according to their needs. We find these values particularly important,” says Vilhelmiina Wahlbeck, Vice President, Corporate Communications, DNA Ltd. 
 
In the first years of partnership between SOS Children’s Village Association Finland and DNA, financial assistance was directed towards therapy activities. Now it is being directed at child welfare and youth work in particular. DNA employees have been offered the option of volunteering from the very start. This will not change.
 
“It is a good thing that DNA is taking care of its corporate social responsibility alongside us, by taking account of young people. The employment situation for young people is currently so challenging that we need to use all possible means of preparing them for independence,” says Director Jari Ketola of SOS Children's Village Association Finland.
 
There is a growing need in Finland for SOS Children’s Village activities because the number of children taken into care is constantly increasing. Currently, more than 18,000 children are placed outside their own homes, and more than 80,000 children and adolescents are in open care.
 
SOS Children's Village has been operating in Finland since 1962 and it helps almost 500 children and adolescent.  
 
For further information, please contact:
Aija Rikala, Communications Manager, SOS Children’s Village Association Finland, tel. +358 50 555 2515, aija.rikala@sos-lapsikyla.fi

Vilhelmiina Wahlbeck, vice president, corporate communications, DNA Oy, tel.  +358 44 040 1671, vilhelmiina.wahlbeck@dna.fi
 
DNA Corporate Communications: tel. +358 44 044 8000, viestinta@dna.fi