The Finnish Service Centre for Development Cooperation, KEPA, is the umbrella organisation for Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs) who work with development cooperation or are otherwise interested in global affairs. At the moment KEPA has roughly 300 member organisations, ranging from small voluntary-based organisations to major national organisations.
KEPA was founded in 1985 to coordinate the Finnish Volunteer Service, through which dozens of professional volunteers were sent to work in developing countries. The programme was scaled down after 1995, and KEPA’s work today mainly involves strengthening civil society both in Finland and in developing countries, with the ultimate goal of changing the socioeconomic structures and processes that lead to impoverishment.
KEPA’s main activities include training, advisory services and development policy work.
KEPA’s headquarters are in Helsinki, and we also have country offices in Mozambique, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Additionally a small regional office covering the Mekong region is based in Thailand.
KEPA is a politically non-aligned organisation that receives funding from Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
KEY THEMES
KEPA believes that poverty and inequality are not laws of nature: they are caused by conscious actions or the lack of action. Because poverty is caused by human activities, the processes that lead to impoverishment can be tackled by changing our actions. KEPA believes that each and every one of us can make a difference and help to reduce global inequality.
In KEPA’s training, advisory and development policy work, we particularly concentrate on three key themes closely linked to impoverishment: development finance, trade and climate change. Through our own direct actions and collaboration with our member organisations we strive to influence Finland’s development policies so that they will combat impoverishment more effectively.
WHERE WE WORK
KEPA has offices in Mozambique, Nicaragua and Tanzania, as well as a regional office based in Thailand covering the Mekong region.
Through these offices KEPA supports local civil society and the work of KEPA’s Finnish member organisations in various ways, including training and advisory services, collaboration with local partner organisations and the provision of thematic publications.
We have field operations in:
