Setlementti Puijola
Our Services
Puijola offers activities across various areas of life. Our work ranges from guiding after-school clubs for primary school children to international work, sex education, reception center activities, and working with violence. Puijola, among other things, supports released prisoners and their families, provides housing counseling, and coaches immigrants for work and studies.
What is Puijola?
Settlement Puijola is an association operating in Kuopio with about 100 employees. We do diverse and heartful assistance work, skillfully and joyfully, to make everyday life fair and happy for us all. We are religiously and politically uncommitted.
Our mission is to bring a fair and good everyday life to everyone, and our vision is to be known as a pioneer of social justice.
Values
Equality: A core principle of our work is to promote equality in society regardless of a person’s background, culture, nationality, or language skills.
Locality: We operate for the good of local people and those in the surrounding areas – together with them.
Responsibility and Trust: We dare to act differently when necessary. We strengthen trust between people. We are a reliable partner for authorities, funders, and other collaborators. We trust in the inherent ability of individuals to resolve issues.
Fairness: We work to ensure that everyone feels they have been treated fairly. We increase awareness of what fairness means in Finnish society.
Our Funders and Partners
Settlement Puijola’s various activities involve numerous funders and many partners.
Our Main Funders: STEA (Social and Health Sector Funding Centre), Finnish Immigration Service, Eastern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency, North Savo TE Office (Employment and Economic Development Office), City of Kuopio, various ministries, European Union.
Our Main Partners: City of Kuopio, Finnish Immigration Service, Savo Vocational College, University of Eastern Finland, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Criminal Sanctions Agency for Eastern and Northern Finland, Eastern Finland Police Department, European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI), various settlements across Finland, numerous local organizations, North Savo Wellbeing Area
Our Board
The board of Settlement Puijola is elected at the association’s spring meeting annually. Board members are selected based on their personal strengths and expertise. They do not represent any single political party or interest group.
Board 2023 Members: Piia Puurunen, Chairperson; Anne Paulo-Tuovinen, Vice Chairperson; Pirkko Daavitsainen, Kaisa Kantele, Esa Pitkänen, Petra Ryymin, and Merja Ylönen.
Alternate Members: Matti Kaarlejärvi, Tiina Nykky, Liisa Pietikäinen, Varpu Puskala
Puijola’s Executive Directors: Eija Teerineva from 2007 – present, Eija Komulainen from 2004 – 2007, Riitta Katajamäki from 2002 – 2004, Terttu Penttinen from 2001 – 2002, Anne Laimio from 1997 – 2001
Puijola’s Board Chairpersons: Piia Puurunen from 2019 – present, Raimo Tuomainen from 2014–2019, Ilkka Raninen from 1999 – 2014, Jorma Kukkonen from 1995 – 1998
Contact Information
We are located in Kuopio at Puistokatu 14-16, on the third floor. At our office, Tuula Himanen serves and can be reached at phone number 050 554 8877, email tuula.himanen@puijola.net. Our Executive Director, Eija Teerineva, can be contacted at phone number 044 787 2880, email eija.teerineva@puijola.net.
However, we have several units near the center of Kuopio. You can find all contact details compiled in the link below.
