Volunteering in Finland - September 2014
Welcome Portuguese Volunteers!
Seniors’ volunteer project "Helping Hands" goes into practical action at the beginning of September, when six volunteers from Cascais-Estoril arrive in Finland for a three-week working cycle. Our own volunteers, who will travel to Portugal next year, have together with KuuRet 55+ department prepared a tight program in which they partly participate themselves. Together with the volunteers a Portuguese delegate of three
distinguished persons will arrive for a three-day visit to make acquaintance with our voluntary work.
The program consists of outdoor recreation for elderly people and other recreational activities in the nursing houses of Kettumäki and Mäkikylä, in the assisted living facilities of Kustaankoti as well as in the nursing house in Jaala. Our club members have practiced these activities actively and in large numbers throughout the spring-summer seasons, so that we can assist and support the Portuguese volunteers offering them learning experiences.
Maintenance of the environment, which consists of raking fallen leaves, collecting garbage and small-scale repairs, is another area of responsibility, which is a natural part of the Kuusankoski Hiking Club’s eco-friendly activities. The outdoor recreation areas of Nauha, Tähtee and Heisanharju as well as the network of trails in Western Lapland will perhaps be a little neater thanks to "hike-pick-put into bin bag"- activity. We also help to tidy the yard of Perheniemi Folk High School and the cemetery of the Parish of Kuusankoski as well as the flea market of the Finnish Red Cross. Some of the NFI’s log cabins in Lapland, which the Hikers are required to rehabilitate, will be refurbish thanks to our guests.
Our guests also have a possibility to present their own activities and Portugal on several occasions. We in our turn have a chance to learn Portuguese crafts and cooking at least during our trip to Lapland when they also participate in the kitchen works.
We welcome our guests to work, but also to see and experience something from the Finnish society, nature and people.
Text and photos by Seppo Tahvanainen
Translated by Miikka Rikala
After a good start new challenges – a trip to Lapland
The voluntary work project “Helping Hands” has started well. Our guests arrived on a night flight early on Tuesday, 2nd September. The party consisted of six voluntary senior workers plus three officials of our project partner, President Morais Soares, Member of Board Rita Coelho and the person responsible for the project Ines Calado. After a short rest and a sight-seeing tour of Kouvola we met for dinner and a planning meeting at Kettumäki Service Centre. Present were, in addition to the Portuguese voluntary workers, members of KuuRet 55+ Board, chair Harri Järvenpää and secretary Jaana Hyvönen of Kuusankosken Retkeilijät and the Finnish volunteers going next to Portugal. At the meeting we also heard Jukka Nyberg, chair of Kuusankoski Old People’s Care Organisation, tell us about Finnish old people’s care.
Wednesday started with a visit to at Etappi (meeting place for various old people’s and other organisations), where we learned about their activities. At the time there was a meeting of a pensioners’ handicraft club. The Portuguese told them about the flag of their country and its symbolism and sang their national anthem. In the afternoon we arranged a common occasion for the residents and guests of Kettumäki Service Centre, where the voluntary workers helped make and serve coffee and crepes. There was also a little singsong and some songs presented by our Portuguese friends. The evening passed quickly at a summer cottage on the Sonnanjoki river with good food and sauna-bathing. All the Portuguese gentlemen went to the sauna for the first time in their life.
On Thursday we had been invited to Kouvola Hall as guests of Kouvola Town. Town executives Vesa Toikka and Anne Eriksson gave a presentation of the town’s activities and voluntary work. We also saw Tuija Uotila’s handicraft exhibition. In the afternoon we took some residents of Mäkikylä old people’s home for an outing in beautiful autumn weather. After this the coordinators had a meeting and the voluntary workers had an opportunity to visit our members’ homes.
Today, on Friday, we started making preparations for the trip to Lapland by learning what is needed in planning a trip like this, beginning with the equipment and even menus. The three project officials began their journey back home via Helsinki. Today it was our turn to go to give an outing to residents of Kustaankoti. After these three days with work experiences among old people, I have noticed how deeply empathetic the Portuguese voluntary workers are. This kind of work and the problems are the same everywhere!
When I am writing this, the evening sun is shining, luggage is being packed and there’s some trip fever in the air. New challenges are waiting for us in the woods and the fells of western Lapland.
Text and photos by Seppo Tahvanainen
Translated by Sirkku Pitkänen
Hard Work in Magical Lapland
Our tiresome bus ride began on Friday evening and by lunchtime on Saturday we reached our destination. The lunch tasted good and sold like hot cakes. We got our rooms and made a walk to the centre of the ski resort Levi. There were held a number of public events and we could experience international atmosphere. It was easy to fall asleep after the evening coffee and discussion on the week programme.
On Sunday morning, we woke up early - maybe the magic of Lapland began to bite, the expectations were high. We got to the top of Levi with the gondola lift and from there we came back on foot and by bus to the village. We continued for another walk during which we had a picnic lunch. After the return I asked whether the journey was too short or too long. Reportedly it could have been longer. There was still energy left for preparing the Portuguese evening and the ladies’ first sauna turn. Litter collection could wait for next day in the terrain of Ylläs. Some of us had additional work in the kitchen. In the morning, we went by bus to Kesänkijärvi in Ylläs. Along the outdoor route to the lake we found enough garbage to be collected. Outdoor enthusiasts here in Lapland seem to be reasonably clean and aware of nature and human needs. The worst experience was – not any more a baby’s diaper full of” human excrement "- necessity knows no law. Rubbish waste was collected into smaller bags and then they were gathered into a large waste bag. When we arrived to our lodgings a couple of volunteers continued their kitchen duties. More supplies were needed for the Portuguese evening and they were got from the shop.
One of the hikers had time to go to the woods to pick blueberries. The berries were quite fresh and it took time to clean them up.
On Tuesday the targets of our hiking and working were the mountain Pallas and Rihmakuru at the foot of the mountain and its huts. In enthusiastic mood the volunteers arrived to Rihmakuru. After a quick review we found that the wall on the south side of the sauna building needed to be painted. Unfortunately we were short of paint so that only a small part of the wall could be painted. There were some fallen trees and branches in the yard which were sawn and piled for those who would need firewood. Packed lunch and sausages tasted good round the campfire. Then we continued the journey to Raattama and Pallastunturi. On our way we had stiff wind and we saw local markets, a cloudy sky and a few reindeers from far. In the evening, the male cooks were preparing the next day's serving. It was interesting to watch their lively and loud habit to work. Next evening we could enjoy the results of the work.
Wednesday morning was sunny but we couldn’t enjoy it immediately in the morning because the ladies began to prepare the dessert for the evening. The target of our environmental volunteer work was Sirkkatalo ( Sirkka House), where we first cleaned the hut and the surroundings of the main building. Our catch was a few plastic bags of cigarette butts, paper, broken glass, plastic, a half of a ski pole and a plastic lamp cap. Then we filled the log shed. After a short brake we had a walk to the River Kulkujoki and we found places full of berries. After the lunch break we picked some liters of lingonberries and blueberries In the evening we celebrated a Portuguese evening, which had already been prepared in the previous two days. The program included flavours from Portugal: two kinds of cheese, port wine, a typical Portuguese meat dish "feijoada" with carrots, cabbage, beans and rice, as well as Portuguese red wine, a Portuguese dessert "farofias" consisting of milk, egg, Maizena, lemon, cinnamon and sugar. Also liqueur, coffee and tea were served. Finally the
volunteers presented the Portuguese music and dance.
On Thursday we continued our environmental volunteer work on the hiking trail from Levi in the direction of Merkkisenkaltio. We got seven plastic bags rubbish, mostly paper, plastic and cans and also some berries. Two volunteers on kitchen duty helped the hostesses. In the afternoon we had the mid-term evaluation discussion, which from our point of view was very positive. Suggestions for improvements were not mentioned.
On Friday, the last full day of our stay in Lapland we hiked around the Lake Immeljärvi, enjoying the scenery and looking for rubbish. The berries we had picked during the week were made to jam that our guests took home. We had time to look at the souvenirs. Those, who were in turn in kitchen prepared their own breakfast in Portuguese style. In the evening, all the travelers gathered to the hut on the shore to grill sausages.
Saturday morning came surprisingly quickly after the active and productive week. Cleaning the rooms, breakfast and then we started our bus ride with our driver Tomi towards Kuusankoski.
Energetic Portuguese volunteers: Francisco Silva, Júlia Barria, Júlio Varela, Arminda Varela, António Vieira and Maria José Vieira.
Text and photos by Seppo Tahvanainen
Translated by Miikka Rikala
Hard work and sweat
On Sunday after the trip to Lapland we took our guests to Kouvola to see the old-time market where we tasted e.g. vendace (fish made in a traditional way). From there we made our way to Elimäki to visit a local food fair, where some of our Portuguese friends tasted porridge made of new-harvest rye and a type of hash followed by crepes. We also visited Elimäki Local Museum and found quite a few correspondences between Finnish and Portuguese traditions.
Monday morning was given to picking rubbish in Kuusankoski Sports Park. The lot of the rubbish gathered was seen with slight bewilderment even by the representatives of CIMO, who had arrived to monitor our project. In the afternoon the volunteers took senior citizens living at Tähtee Nursing Home for an outing for the first time. The good weather and the nice seniors left a positive memory of the work experience. The evening was spent at a shed of Nauha skiing cottage eating tasty picnic food made by the Hellstén family and picking wild mushrooms in the woods.
Tuesday became the most industrious day of voluntary work. Early in the morning we left for Perheniemi Institute where we participated in various work in the garden and environment, such as raking the lawn, picking berries and apples, cutting branches and uprooting weeds... Our feet and arms were aching after the work in the evening, but we still had to attend the monthly meeting of KuuRet at Kettumäki Service Centre. There we listened to Finnish and Portuguese music, saw pictures of the voluntary work period so far and dealt with the items on the agenda.
On Wednesday the programme included a visit to Jaala Old People’s Home. On the way we had a look at Liikanen Hill with its summer theatre and a local Troy Town (a labyrinth made of stones). At lunch at the nursing home we performed Portuguese songs. In the afternoon we trekked at Heisanharju and while walking picked rubbish, in addition to some mushrooms and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. After a picnic, again served by Helena and Tauno, we took another route back to the cars and on the way to Kuusankoski dropped in at the Verla Mill Museum area.
We began Thursday led by Hannu, who first took us to the Red Cross “Hunger Day” collection at Kuusankoski Congregation Hall. Two of us stayed there to help serve coffee and the others went to the Red Cross rummage sale at Voikkaa to help sort out articles for sale and take rubbish to the dump. And there was a lot of rubbish! At the same time we learned how waste disposal works. After this job Hannu (former fire department chief) took us to see Voikkaa Fire Station. In the afternoon we went to Mäkikylä Old People’s Home, where Meeri had organized some music and exercise with the help of Risto and Tauno, also the Portuguese contributed to the programme. In the evening we had been invited to the Mattilas’ beautiful home in Harju. Three of us went for a boat ride, the rest preferred fishing. There was a funny, at the same time serious occurrence, which fortunately ended happily, when Francisco fell into the river with all his equipment. This gave Francisco the nickname “salmon”. This incidence shows that life in Finland can be dangerous!
Friday began with work at Kuusankoski cemetery. Raking the lawns was again hard work for which we were rewarded with coffee and buns and a guided tour of the cemetery and chapel. After lunch we went to Kustaankoti and took some residents for an outing for the second time. While we had a short rest at the bridge the Portuguese friends entertained residents by singing by the Hotel Sommelo. In the early evening the ladies went to the sauna and the gentlemen angled in the river. Of course, the biggest fish was the one that got away, but a more than two-pound bream was caught. The Portuguese seem to be even good fishermen.
The weekend was free. Saturday was a long day sight seeing Helsinki and Sunday a little shorter day in Kotka and Hamina. The weather was excellent all the time.
The last workday began with a visit to Kettumäki house of local history. And then it started raining for the first time in weeks, which made it impossible to take residents of Tähtee nursing home for an outing. Instead, we visited three wards and entertained the residents with Portuguese songs. The residents seemed to be pleased – so were we. The final evaluation and certificates given to the Portuguese participants ended the official part of the day and the whole visit.
The trip to the airport began at one o’clock on Tuesday night – we wish they had a pleasant way back home, thank them for cooperation and active work and very nice company.
Text and photos by Seppo Tahvanainen
Translated by Sirkku Pitkänen
A successful voluntary work period in Finland
The Portuguese voluntary workers gave their interim evaluation on 11 September when we were in Lapland and the period was half-way through. The whole group together gave the feedback, and they had to answer questions e.g. “How well have your expectations come true as to the work here”. The answer was that expectations had been fulfilled and they had had a chance to work for the good of Finnish society. What would have been better feedback! As to free time they said: “the little free time that there was passed well and it was interesting to meet people in their own living conditions”. I think there was also free time, but the line between time spent together and free time might have been vague.
Accommodation, transport and meals as well as guiding were also subject to evaluation. The accommodation was satisfying, meals were served at different times from those in Portugal, but the visitors had well conformed to that. Transport had been comfortable and the drivers kind. The guests were very satisfied with the guiding or mentoring they had got and said that organizing things had been excellent.
As to their own participation, they thought that it had been of good standard and at least sufficient. There’s no doubt of that! The six persons of the Portuguese group took part in all the tasks given very efficiently, kept to schedules and best of all – did everything with good humour. In their opinion
all the tasks were interesting and easy enough.
Finally I asked them what they would tell a reporter about their stay in Finland and how they would grade their experience so far. The grading was the highest possible. A reporter would hear about a wonderful experience which had offered them a chance to learn about Finnish reality, tell something
about Portugal and find similarities between these two nations within the European Union. Social work had been a plus and deepened the positive experience.
In the final evaluation on 22 September the questions were partly the same, this time the answers were given individually. The work tasks, free time activities, meals, transport, cooperation with the Finnish organizers and the voluntary work period as a whole got the highest possible grade from all, accommodation the second highest from two participants, and that regarding accommodation in Lapland. On the whole, we got excellent feedback.
When asked what the most interesting task was, the answers were taking old people for an outing and arranging recreation for them such as singing (4 answers). Two had found working in Lapland the most interesting and one had liked raking the cemetery best. Some answerers mentioned several tasks, and one thought everything was interesting.
When asked about the most difficult task, the answers took up the Perheniemi work day, which included a lot of garden work, raking, weeding, cutting ranches and picking apples and berries. Five answerers found this the most difficult; at least it was physically the most demanding. One answerer, an experienced gardener, thought it was not a difficult day, either.
None of the answerers would have changed anything in this three-week programme. All were willing to recommend a work period like this to other Portuguese seniors, if a corresponding opportunity came up. Heartfelt thanks to the voluntary workers for their participation and work and thanks for
the feedback. I also thank our own volunteers who worked with the Portugueses.
Text and photos by Seppo Tahvanainen
Translated by Sirkku Pitkänen