Interpedia

Our programmes

Sponsorship programme

Interpedia runs sponsorship programs supporting children's education in developing countries. Finnish persons or groups regularly send money through Interpedia to our cooperation partners who run projects caring for children's education and health care and for maintenance of schools and day care centres. Interpedia has about 2500 Finnish sponsors who support about 4000 children in Thailand, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, India, Ethiopia and Colombia.

Interpedia also receives grants from the development fund of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland for some specific projects run by the cooperation partners.

As a part of our development work we offer sponsors and other individuals possibility to volunteer with us, sell fair trade products, participate in development networks and promote global education.

Intercountry adoption

Towards the end of the 70's and in the beginning of the 80's, Interpedia worked to make the Finnish government pass an adoption law, which would also include intercountry adoption. Interpedia also participated in preparing such legislation. The new law took effect in May 1985. Interpedia was authorized by the Finnish government to act as a duly licensed agency in intercountry adoptions the same year. The law got some amendments 1997 to be in accordance with the Hague convention on intercountry adoptions.

Interpedia is authorised by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to deal with intercountry adoptions as an adoption service agency. As an adoption service agency, Interpedia is only authorized to cooperate with an authority or an organisation abroad which has been accepted by the Finnish Adoption Board (section 22 in the Adoption Law). Interpedia has been accepted as a cooperation contact by the authorities in China, Thailand, India, South Africa, Ethiopia and Colombia, countries in which Interpedia cooperates either with the government authority or with an agency authorized by the government. In the last years Interpedia has been able to provide over 100 children per year from the above mentioned countries with loving parents and families in Finland.

Adoption support services include a net of contact persons, preparatory courses for future adoptive parents, courses for families with adopted children and culture group meetings.

Legal Status

The Finnish Ministry of Justice gave Interpedia the status as a registered association (then by the name of Hjälp till nödställda barn - Help to children in need) in March 1976. In October 1979 the association was
registered under the name Interpedia. The registration number is 128163. All registered associations in Finland are under the jurisdiction of the Association Law (4.1.1919/1, revised 26.5.1989/503).

By virtue of section 50 (2 and 3) and section 51 (1) of the Adoption Law the National Board of Social Welfare granted Interpedia a permit to render intercountry adoption service on 2 May 1985. The present permit was given by the Finnish Ministry of Social Welfare and Health and it is valid until 1 May 2010.

Interpedia receives funds to its work from adoptive applicants, sponsors, individual donors, Finland's Slot Machine Association (FSMA, a governmental foundation that finances various social projects), the Ministry of
Education and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Structure and staff of Interpedia

The office of Interpedia is in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. Interpedia has members all over the country. The adoption service and other service given by the association also cover the whole country.

The association is run by a board, which consists of nine (9) members with four (4) deputies all of whom are elected for two years.

The staff:

Mr. Harri Hakola, Executive Director
Ms. Terhi Collin, Executive Officer / Public Relations
Ms. Tiina Siimeslahti, Office Secretary

Development cooperation

Mr. Tarmo Heikkilä, Executive Officer / Development Cooperation
Ms. Elisa Vepsäläinen, Executive Officer / Development Cooperation

Intercountry Adoptions

Ms. Anja Ojuva, Director of Adoption Service
Ms. Eija Kiiskinen, Executive Officer / Adoption program
Ms. Marika Elmeranta, Executive Officer / Adoption program
Ms. Salla Hari, Executive Officer / Adoption program
Ms. Wilma Pomell, Adoption Assistent
Ms. Anneli Laaneots, Executive Officer / Adoption Support Service