Koa ry

Founded in 2015, Koa ry is a non-profit network based in Helsinki, Finland working on humanitarian aid & disaster relief, poverty & hunger.

Koa ry, the Finnish Homeland Aid Work Alliance (Kotimainen avustustyönliitto), is a membership association and umbrella body for organisations doing humanitarian aid work in Finland. It was founded in 2015 under the name Ruoka-apu Yhdistysten Liitto ry and renamed in 2019 to cover humanitarian work more broadly than food aid. Koa represents and monitors the interests of its member associations, acts as their consultant and spokesperson, and offers advisory services. It organises networking events and develops and spreads good practices. It also coordinates food aid work through regional coordinators in welfare areas, funded by STEA, and cooperates with organisations, municipalities, welfare regions, parishes and authorities. Its values are politically and religiously non-committal and are based on the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ethical guidelines for humanitarian work. Koa is headquartered in Helsinki and operates across Finland, and can work internationally when needed. Membership is open to organisations that apply via the membership form.