International Solidarity Foundation

What International Solidarity Foundation does

International Solidarity Foundation, operating as Solidaarisuus, is a Finnish nonprofit foundation (säätiö) established in 1970 and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The organization works to improve the position of women and girls in East Africa through three interconnected programmatic areas: ending female genital mutilation (FGM), preventing violence against women and girls, and building sustainable economic livelihoods for women. It operates field offices in Nairobi (Kenya), Jijiga in Ethiopia's Somali region, and Hargeisa (Somaliland), with programs concentrated in the Kisii region of Kenya, the Somali region of Ethiopia, and the Burao and Erigavo areas of Somaliland, where FGM prevalence ranges from 68% to 99%.

The foundation delivers its work through community-based interventions rather than proprietary technology. Core program offerings include girl safety camps during school holidays to prevent FGM, reusable menstrual pad production in Somaliland refugee camps, banana fiber circular economy initiatives in Kenya, women's agricultural cooperatives (including oyster mushroom cultivation), legal aid support for gender-based violence survivors, climate adaptation programs, and collective declarations by religious and community leaders to abandon harmful practices. Programs are implemented directly through in-country field offices and via partnerships with local civil society organizations, including SOYDAVO, North Nyamira Women Sacco, It Is Well, Dream Team Sisters, Million Hugs, Vision Star Ladies, and Muungano Gender Forum.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-based, with no products or services sold. Revenue streams include monthly recurring individual donations from Finnish supporters, pay-as-you-go giving via MobilePay (number 14165), SMS donations (sending 'SOLIDAARISUUS' to 16155 for a 15 EUR donation), online bank and card donations, crowdfunding campaigns for specific initiatives, and institutional funding primarily from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs through multi-year development cooperation programs (current cycle 2026-2029, succeeding 2021-2025), supplemented by private foundation grants. The foundation holds a Finnish fundraising license (RA/2021/1619) and is governed as an independent säätiö with no parent entity.

Name

International Solidarity Foundation

Legal name

Kansainvälinen solidaarisuussäätiö

Website

https://solidaarisuus.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Solidarity Foundation (Solidaarisuus) is a Finnish nonprofit foundation operating since 1970 that works to end female genital mutilation, prevent violence against women, and build women's economic livelihoods in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somaliland through community-based programs funded by Finnish government grants and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Women's rights advocacy
• FGM prevention programs
• Gender-based violence support
• Women's economic empowerment
• Humanitarian development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly recurring donations and one-time gifts from Finnish private individuals supporting women's rights work in East Africa.
2. Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Government development cooperation funding, though reduced by 800,000 EUR compared to previous program period 2021-2025. This represents core institutional funding.
3. Crowdfunding Campaigns: Project-specific crowdfunding campaigns targeting Finnish public for grassroots funding of specific initiatives like legal aid for violence survivors.
4. Private Foundations: Funding from various foundations as alternative funding sources to reduce dependency on government funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

International Solidarity Foundation (Solidaarisuus) is a Finnish nonprofit foundation that implements humanitarian and development programs in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somaliland. Its core work focuses on three interconnected areas: ending female genital mutilation (FGM) through safe camps and community declarations, preventing violence against women and girls via legal aid and survivor support, and building sustainable livelihoods for women through cooperatives, climate-adaptive agriculture, and circular-economy initiatives such as reusable menstrual pads and banana fiber products.

Product overview

International Solidarity Foundation (Solidaarisuus) is a Finnish charitable NGO focused on improving women's and girls' rights in East Africa. The organization does not offer commercial technology products; instead, it implements humanitarian programs including girl safety camps during school holidays to protect against female genital mutilation, reusable menstrual pad production and income generation in Somaliland, banana fiber circular economy initiatives in Kenya, climate adaptation programs, and women's agricultural cooperatives. These programs work in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somaliland through partnerships with local organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Safety Camps for Girls (Tyttöjen turvaleirit)

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 girls protected from FGM annually through safe camps
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SOYDAVOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Local partner organization in Somaliland implementing the reusable menstrual pad project at Burao refugee camp. SOYDAVO works with internally displaced women to create income opportunities through pad production while addressing menstrual health needs.
• North Nyamira Women SaccocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's cooperative in Nyamira, Kenya implementing sustainable food production and cooperative development programs. The organization supports women in agriculture, oyster mushroom cultivation, and value-added processing.
• It Is WellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots organization in Kenya's Kisii region, established 2020, providing legal aid and support to domestic violence survivors. The only organization offering such services in the entire region, they accompany survivors through police reports, court cases, and provide safe housing and vocational training.
• Dream Team SistersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan organization of teachers and healthcare workers dedicated to anti-FGM work. Founded by former practitioners who now oppose the practice.
• Million HugsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing psychological support services to violence survivors in Kenya.
• Vision Star LadiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnly organization in Kisii region working with trans community and sex workers, providing safe spaces and support for marginalized populations facing discrimination and violence.
• Muungano Gender ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal forum engaging communities on gender issues and equality discussions in Kenya.
• Human Rights League Finland (Ihmisoikeusliitto)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish human rights organization with whom Solidaarisuus issued joint press releases on International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM (February 6).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plan International Finland: Finnish affiliate of Plan International working on girls' rights, child protection, and gender equality in developing countries. Highly comparable as a Finnish-anchored INGO operating women's-rights and girls'-protection programs with government and individual-donor funding.
• Diakonia: Swedish-founded, Nordic international development organization with Finnish presence focusing on gender equality, SRHR, and economic justice. Closely comparable in mission, Nordic funding model, and East African operational footprint.
• Equality Now: International human rights NGO working to end FGM, sexual violence, and sex trafficking through legal advocacy and grassroots partnerships. Comparable thematic focus on FGM and girls'/women's bodily autonomy, though operating primarily through legal rather than direct service delivery.
• Tostan: Senegal-based NGO known for its community-led 'Community Empowerment Program' and large-scale FGM abandonment declarations. Directly comparable mission and methodology (collective public declarations, alternative rites, community-led change) to Solidaarisuus.
• Fida International: Finnish Christian development NGO with field programs in Africa and Asia. Comparable as a Finnish development foundation raising funds domestically and implementing community-based rights and livelihoods programs in East Africa.
• Amnesty International Finland: Finnish section of a global human rights organization; Solidaarisuus already partners with the domestic Finnish human rights league for joint FGM Day advocacy. Comparable Finnish advocacy base and women's-rights positioning.
• Norwegian Church Aid: Norwegian ecumenical development organization with gender-based violence and SRHR programs in East Africa. Comparable Nordic INGO profile, MFA-style institutional funding, and operational presence in high-prevalence FGM contexts.
• Orchid Project: UK-based organization exclusively focused on ending FGM through funding and supporting grassroots African initiatives. Comparable single-issue focus and grassroots-funding model to Solidaarisuus's anti-FGM work.

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with active programming in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia/Somaliland. Comparable mission and country footprint but operating at a vastly larger scale as a UN system entity.
• CARE International: Large global humanitarian and development organization running women's economic empowerment, GBV response, and SRHR programs across East Africa. Comparable thematic portfolio but with much broader geographic and programmatic scale than Solidaarisuus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-solidarity-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Solidarity Foundation