1970The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) established International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) as an independent foundation. In the early years, we supported liberation movements in their struggles to overthrow authoritarian rulers and military dictatorships around the world. Although the financial scale of our activities was small, the political and social goals were significant.
1982In the 1980s, our work shifted from campaigning and short-term assistance toward development cooperation, which began in Nicaragua in 1982 with the La Dalia children’s food project. This grew into the largest Finnish NGO project in Nicaragua at the time.
1985ISF has played a significant role in the Finnish development movement. In 1985, we were involved in founding the Finnish expert organization on global development issues, Kepa ry (now known as Fingo, the umbrella organization for Finnish development NGOs).
1989ISF launched its first development project in Uganda by supporting a printing press to improve literacy among poor people.
In both Uganda and Nicaragua, our work focused on rural development and supporting small-scale farmers. In both countries, important work was also done to combat domestic violence.
2000We begin work in Somaliland, focusing on vocational training for youth, women’s social participation, and combating female genital mutilation. ISF is the only Finnish development cooperation organization that has maintained a permanent office in Somaliland for over 20 years.
2001Collaboration in the neighboring region of Russian Karelia begins. For ten years, we carried out pioneering work against domestic violence in Sortavala. The Sortavala shelter continues to serve as an example for others, even though ISF’s regional cooperation ended in the spring of 2012 due to government budget cuts.
ISF becomes a framework organization for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
2003ISF becomes a partner organization of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. We are also a founding member of the Fair Trade Advocacy Association (Reilu Kauppa ry) and a member of the Responsible Giving Association. (VaLa ry)
2014We carry out development cooperation in Nicaragua, Uganda, and Somaliland. Our work benefits around 150,000 people.
2015ISF celebrates its 45th anniversary. We launch a development cooperation project in a new country, Kenya.
President Tarja Halonen is ISF’s former chairperson and current honorary chair.
2016In early 2016, the Silpomaton campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) is launched. The campaign brings together Finnish and Kenyan Change Makers who want to work together to end FGM in Kenya. In its first year, the campaign reaches over 33,000 residents of the Kisii region.
Our nearly 30-year work in Uganda comes to an end due to significant sudden cuts in development cooperation funding.
2018We launch a new Equality Forum in Kenya, where the word muungano signifies coming together and working together. Experts from various fields, researchers, policymakers, officials, and activists meet once a month to address the gender equality challenges faced by women in their daily lives in the Kisii and Nyamira regions: violence, female genital mutilation, employment, and women’s status.
2020ISF celebrates its 50th birthday.
2021Our work in Nicaragua comes to an end. The results achieved over nearly four decades provide hope for the future: by the end of the climate resilience project, income from production systems had increased by nearly one-third.
Our work also left a mark on gender equality: although old attitudes about male and female roles still persist, the culture of discussion about violence has become more open, especially among young people.
2023We begin operations in Ethiopia’s Somali Region. Our activities and projects focus on ending violence against women and female genital mutilation, as well as promoting women’s livelihoods. In Ethiopia, the aim is to launch four projects with local partners within this year.
