Individual Support

We walk alongside you as you reflect on whether you have experienced violence, work to break free from it, process the experiences, and recover from them. Together, we explore ways to cope with and overcome traumatic experiences.

In individual support meetings, you have the opportunity to pause and focus on yourself in a safe and confidential setting. If needed, we can handle matters together and explore which other professionals could support you. If you wish, we can also meet with people who are important to you. All interactions and discussions are completely confidential. An interpreter can be arranged for the meetings if necessary.

Contact us for more:

Sanni Mäkinen
Phone: +358 50 3688 906
Email: sanni.makinen@puijola.net

Group Support

We organize a variety of free weekly group activities that are open to all migrant girls and women. Some activities are also designed to include children.

All activities are planned together with participants. They take place in the women-focused spaces of the Girls’ House. On Thursdays, we venture out together to explore the world, whether through dart games, picnics, or visits to a traditional smoke sauna—whatever we come up with together.

These gatherings provide an opportunity to meet others who may share similar life experiences and to become part of a supportive community.

Support for Professionals

Violence or the threat of it is, unfortunately, often a part of the lives of those seeking safety in Finland. We hope no one has to face their experiences and thoughts alone. As professionals, we should feel encouraged to reflect, ask, discuss, and listen. Our goal is to support professionals in exploring the themes of gender-based violence, recognizing its realities, facilitating safe conversations, and providing support to those who have experienced violence.

Over the years, through our international projects, we have developed a variety of materials for addressing gender-based violence. We have compiled all these resources, along with other valuable information for working on gender-based violence themes, into an online resource bank HERE!

The resource bank includes:

• Information about gender-based violence in refugee contexts
• A list of support organizations
• Materials and tools for individual and group interactions with those seeking safety in Finland
• Details about our past and ongoing projects (CCM-GBV, GBV-Tuva, GBV-Tuva2, SARAH, Women’s Work with Migrants)

In addition, we provide training and support for professionals who work with individuals seeking safety in Finland, focusing on organizing group sessions that raise awareness about gender-based violence.

Projects and Funders

The GBV-Tuva2 project focuses on preventing gender-based violence among asylum seekers and those receiving temporary protection, identifying experiences of such violence, and providing the necessary support for processing these experiences. This work is funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF), managed in Finland by the Ministry of the Interior. The project will run until the end of March 2026.

In a project funded by the Funding Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STEA), we support migrant girls, women, and their families in Finland. The goal is to reduce feelings of insecurity among those experiencing or at risk of violence, strengthen emotional and safety skills, and foster a sense of inclusion through community activities. Additionally, we aim to enhance professionals’ understanding of violence experienced by women and girls with migrant backgrounds. This project will continue until the end of 2025.

At the Girls’ house

At the Girls’ house we encounter, see and hear person as they are. Our purpose is that everyone that comes to the House would find a activity that suits them. We think that every person grows as a person in relation to other people, as a member of a community, and you are an important part of it.  Together, we build community where it is good for everyone to be themselves. You can find more information about us and our services below. Our house is located in Kuopio, at Kuninkaankatu 26.

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