Felm works with local churches and civil society organisations in 16 countries across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Its work is funded by Finnish parishes, private donors and institutional funders, including the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the European Union.
Felm maintains a presence in most of the countries where it operates, with dedicated country offices in Nepal and Cambodia. In the Middle East, the Felm Center provides a meeting place for dialogue, learning, and collaboration.
Rooted in the global engagement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Felm brings together development cooperation, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, advocacy, and church cooperation within a holistic model. Its work reaches nearly three million people each year.
Felm offers wide-ranging thematic expertise, strong local partnerships and extensive practical experience in consortium-based and multi-partner delivery, including the management of publicly funded, multi-country programmes. It works through long-term partnerships with local actors, combining local ownership with accountable programme implementation.
The strategy
Felm’s work advances human dignity and justice worldwide. The Christian message of faith, hope and love of one’s neighbour has been the cornerstone of its work since 1859.
Felm takes a human rights-based, inclusive and locally led approach, with particular emphasis on the inclusion of women, girls and persons with disabilities, as well as on climate resilience and just peace.
We are a reliable long-term partner: in everything we do, we consider the impacts that our actions have on the lives of people and communities we work with, those who support our work, our partners, our personnel, and the environment.
We engage in dialogue and work together with partners, congregations, volunteers and other stakeholders, both in Finland and internationally.
The mission
Felm is an agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) for its international work. It has signed a framework agreement with the ELCF, and is committed to operating within the framework of the Global Mission Policy approved by the Bishops’ Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
Holistic mission recognises all dimensions of God’s creation. It therefore takes account of people’s spiritual, physical, psychological and social needs, as well as humanity’s relationship with the rest of creation.
God’s work of salvation concerns not only the whole person but the whole creation, for Christ is present throughout creation. Loving, caring for, and protecting creation are therefore responsibilities of every Christian. This theological conviction underpins Felm’s commitment to carrying out its mission together with local churches and other partners.
