It was early in the morning as Christian foster parents Sanna and Marko* began the 5-hour drive to join a training event in Finland. After their long journey they still had strength to join a full day of learning how to better serve and reach traumatized children in Finland. During the seminar for Christian foster and adoptive parents, they shared how their foster daughter Hanna* had reacted to their trip.

Hanna will soon leave their house and become independent, so Sanna and Marko are considering accepting new children into their home. When Hanna heard that the topic of the training was to better serve traumatized children, she encouraged them to take the long drive.  

The 17-year-old said: “You should really join the training day, as you need to understand children with trauma if you will foster other children. All of us (foster children) are traumatized.” Hearing this from a foster child was so encouraging, and really brought home the need and value of a focus on trauma training. Yet another reminder that the work we are doing at WWO Europe is not in vain.

ViaDia, a Finnish Christian NGO serving vulnerable children and adults, collaborated with WWO Europe in this event. The day brought together 40 men and women working with multi-cultural and refugee children, as well as foster and adoptive parents and those reaching out to children in their neighbourhoods in over 15 different cities in Finland.  

*names have been changed

Photo: Melina Ilkka