Mtslal has lived with her family in Motala since 2013 and works in a school kitchen. Her early days in Sweden were challenging. She was alone with her four children while her husband remained in Eritrea. Mtslal spoke neither Swedish nor English and had no social network.

“In Eritrea, all the parents stick together,” she says. “There, family, neighbors, and friends naturally pitch in to help with the children. In Sweden, the responsibility felt more isolating.”

Today, Mtslal lives with her husband in Motala, and she feels more secure as a parent in Sweden. She says that parenting is always difficult, but that it becomes especially challenging as the children get older and more questions arise about school, homework, and discipline. While it hasn’t always been easy, her years in Sweden have given her new experiences and knowledge. Above all, she appreciates that children here have rights and the opportunity to attend school regardless of their family’s financial situation.

Yirgalem has lived in Sweden for nine years, first in Stockholm and then in Motala. She works at a preschool. At home in her apartment in the Eken neighborhood, she has her family, but she emphasizes how important the sense of community with other parents is. Through Föräldrakraft, she has had the opportunity to share experiences and build new relationships. For Yirgalem, participating has also led to new friendships. She and a few other participants come from the same small village in Eritrea, but it is only here in Sweden that they have gotten to know each other.

Yirgalem and Mtslal first learned about Föräldrakraft through other organizations. What initially drew them in was the chance to meet others, but the gatherings have come to mean so much more. In particular, the sewing class and group activities like taco nights and other food-sharing events have become moments they look forward to.

“When parents feel more confident in their role, it also has a positive impact on their children. Many have also mentioned how helpful it is to have people they can ask for advice and information about Swedish society, for example,” says Helena Hennings, program developer for Föräldrakraft in Motala.

The activities also help strengthen family bonds, and for Yirgalem, they have prompted her to reflect on her own health.

“It’s also made me think about how I’m doing myself,” says Yirgalem. “How I can take care of myself and feel good so that I have the energy to be the parent I want to be.”

Both Mtslal and Yirgalem have high hopes for their children. They hope their children will find a good path in life and avoid falling into bad company and insecurity. And for other parents who are thinking about joining Föräldrakraft, the message is clear: Just come! Here you’ll find support and a sense of community.

Author: Lena Elf

On December 31, 2024, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) terminated all previous agreements with strategic partner organisations. This opened the door for more organizations to apply for support directly from Sida, and Erikshjälpen submitted its expression of interest.
This was followed by an extensive application process. We worked intensively on a program application, which was subsequently approved at the end of November 2025. It took some time to finalize a signed agreement between Erikshjälpen and Sida, but on Thursday, April 23, 2026, the agreement was finalized.

A total of 125.4 million Swedish kronor (SEK)

The agreement with Sida provides for funding of 41.8 million Swedish kronor (SEK) year for three years, for a total of 125.4 million Swedish kronor (SEK). The agreement is valid for three years, which is the maximum duration currently granted by Sida. A new call for proposals is planned for 2027 under the current strategy.

Collaboration with the organization Cord

The project was carried out in collaboration with the British organization Cord, which has extensive experience in peacebuilding. The partnership with Cord strengthens Erikshjälpen’s interventions children’s right to safety and protection in countries where conflict is escalating and civil society is being restricted.

“We believe that Cord’s extensive experience in navigating these contexts will complement our work to ensure children’s right to safety and protection very well,” says Jessica Berg, project manager for the Sida application at Erikshjälpen.

The new Safer Futures program

The application described the new program, Safer Futures – Empowering Civil Society for Child Protection. The program focuses on children’s right to safety and protection, combined with CORD’s peacebuilding components. It consists of 17 partner organizations in 9 countries across all four regions:

• Asia – Bangladesh, Cambodia
• West Africa – Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin
• East Africa – Uganda, Kenya
• Eastern Europe – Republic of Moldova, Ukraine

“By becoming a direct contracting partner with Sida, we gain greater flexibility and the opportunity to pursue more long-term and strategic work in our program countries,” says Anders Malmstigen, Director of International Operations at Erikshjälpen.

The Turkana region in northern Kenya has been severely affected by drought. The situation has rapidly deteriorated after several rainy seasons failed to materialize, either entirely or in part. This has led to acute shortages of food and water, significant livestock losses, and a sharp rise in malnutrition. One in three children under the age of five is at risk of acute malnutrition.

Emergency humanitarian response

Together with our partner organization working in the area, we are now launching a special humanitarian effort to support children and families. The effort includes:

• Emergency food packages for 300 households.
• School meals for 600 children for two months.
• Repair and maintenance of four wells, restoring a safe water supply for up to 10,000 people.

Increased drought tolerance

We train local water committees in the villages so they can maintain the wells in the long term. And we help vulnerable households find new ways to support themselves, making them more resilient to future droughts. In this way, we achieve a gradual transition from emergency aid to long-term development.

On Saturday, April 25, we’ll be celebrating ERIK's day our secondhand stores across the country. It’s a day when we honor the memory of our founder, Erik Nilsson—and at the same time make a real difference for children around the world. Every day, our stores’ surplus go surplus children’s rights. But on ERIK's day , all proceeds from the day’s sales ERIK's day to Erikshjälpen’s work for children’s rights.

A festive day filled with activities, refreshments, and great finds

Many stores will be offering a festive atmosphere with activities for all ages. Visitors can enjoy face painting, crafts, contests, and delicious treats, for example. It will be a day filled with joy, togetherness, and great finds.

That's why we celebrate ERIK's day

ERIK's day annually in memory of Erik Nilsson, the boy who laid the foundation for Erikshjälpen. Despite his own illness, Erik chose to bring hope to other children. This commitment is carried on today by people throughout the country and even internationally.

Erikshjälpen is celebrating its 80th anniversary

This year’s Eriksdag takes on a special significance as Erikshjälpen celebrates its 80th anniversary. The anniversary commemorates a journey that began with one young person’s desire to help and has grown into one of Sweden’s largest children’s rights organizations.

How Erikshjälpen Works to Promote Children's Rights

Today, Erikshjälpen works toward long-term goals to strengthen children’s rights in 16 countries, with a focus on areas such as education, health, safety, and protection. In Sweden, we work to ensure that all children have the right to equal and safe conditions in which to grow up.

Erikshjälpen Second Hand a crucial role in this work. The stores help fund our children’s rights initiatives. They also foster a sense of community, provide job training, and open new pathways into the workforce for people who are far removed from the job market. And by focusing our efforts specifically on parents and guardians, we improve the future prospects for many children and young people.

Celebrate with us and shop for the kids

So come celebrate ERIK's day us. Find great deals, socialize, and support Erikshjälpen’s work for children’s rights. When you shop during ERIK's day helping to give children a better future.

With an open house, cake, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad in Linehed, Halmstad.

“We want to create a sense of an extended living room here—a safe place where children and young people are met by someone who believes in them and where they can feel that the future belongs to them,” says program coordinator Yasemin Celik.

No Future Workshop without collaboration

Several of Erikshjälpen’s key partners were in attendance at the opening ceremony. Representatives from the City of Halmstad, civil society, and the housing company HFAB were given a tour of the new facility.

The initiative in Linehed has been made possible with support from the Ljungbergska Foundation and will be carried out in collaboration with several local partners. Plans are already underway for a number of activities, in partnership with HFAB and others, to engage children and young people in the area.

“Halmstad should be a safe municipality with a strong sense of community,” says Anna Wallefors, Deputy Municipal Director of Halmstad Municipality. “Collaboration with civil society is key to our success, and we are convinced that Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad contribute to this.”

A place for support, community, and growth

The Future Workshop in Halmstad is intended to be a safe place where young people can grow both individually and together with others. Children and young people have a say in deciding which activities are offered and which issues are important to address.

The Future Workshop will also serve as a gathering place for the whole family. The goal is to strengthen parenting and contribute to positive development throughout the area.

The program is led by Yasemin Celik and Karin Tengnäs, who both have experience in social work with young people and parents, as well as in children’s rights.

“We complement each other very well, both in our preventive and promotional efforts,” says Karin.

In close collaboration with Erikshjälpen Second Hand

The idea is for Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad serve as a bridge between families, civil society, and the workforce—and to create new opportunities for those who are excluded from the labor market.

That is why a key part of the initiative is the partnership with the local Erikshjälpen Second Hand. Jannica Johansson, employment coordinator for Framtidsverkstaden, has her office in the store. From there, she will help young people and parents get closer to the workforce through job training and networking, among other things.

“We hope to play a key role in the municipality’s efforts to support young people who are unemployed while transitioning from school to work, and to create new paths forward,” says Jannica Johansson.

For a future with equal opportunities for all

Karin and Yasemin are now looking forward to meeting children, young people, and parents in Linehed. One of the first activities being organized is a study workshop in collaboration with the Red Cross and the Halmstad parish. A resume workshop is also being organized to help young people take steps toward entering the workforce. And on April 11, a community fair will be held in Linehed Park where local organizations can present their activities and inspire more people to get involved in community life.

“The Future Workshop is meant to be a place where young people feel included, where more of them can find paths to further education or employment. We want to support and guide both young people and parents toward the right kind of support and opportunities,” says Karin.

Karin and Yasemin hope that Framtidsverkstaden will become an integral part of Linehed. The initiative is intended to be a key component in the effort to promote equal opportunities for children and young people and to strengthen their prospects in the area.

Author: Lena Elf

Photographer: Lena Elf

The war in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has had catastrophic consequences for civilians. For a long time, Erikshjälpen has wanted to contribute with support. But providing Humanitarian Assistance nearly impossible if you do not already have operations in the area. Therefore, cooperation with local partners has been crucial.

In 2025, an opportunity arose to support an initiative in Gaza through the Pentecostal Mission's development cooperation (PMU) and their local partner Shepherd Society. The first initiative focused on protecting families with children and single mothers from the worst of the fighting. After the rocket attacks subsided, many were left without homes or food. Erikshjälpen therefore supported a second initiative – to ensure that children and families who had been forced to flee their homes could eat their fill and receive nutritious food.

The Shepherd Society has unique opportunities to help on the ground, as it was already present in Gaza before the war broke out. It has been – and still is – very difficult to get aid shipments into Gaza, but it is not impossible. With the support provided by the initiative, partner organisations have partner organisations purchase food, hygiene products, and other supplies when available.

The efforts were part of Erikshjälpen's disaster relief work, which enables us to provide rapid support in the event of war, conflict, or natural disasters.

It has been four years since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The situation remains serious. Today, there are 3.8 million internally displaced persons in the country. Since February 2022, 745 children have been killed and over 2,300 injured, according to the UN.

Cold weather exacerbates situation in Ukraine

The winter of 2025–2026 has proven to be one of the most challenging periods since the start of the war. Families lack warmth and security due to destroyed homes and disrupted infrastructure such as electricity and water supplies. In Kiev, entire neighborhoods have been forced to endure temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius without the ability to heat their homes.

The harsh winter creates more than just material needs. Parents worry about keeping their children warm, and entire communities live in constant anxiety about how they will survive the winter. The combination of extreme cold and energy shortages increases psychological stress and leaves many in urgent need of both warmth and supplies, as well as psychosocial support.

Erikshjälpen's efforts against the cold

Erikshjälpen, together with Radiohjälpen, has launched an extra initiative to alleviate the worst of the suffering. The initiative has a total budget of Swedish kronor (SEK) 3.3 million Swedish kronor (SEK) is being implemented in ten regions in Ukraine.

This will be distributed:

• blankets
• warm clothes
• food
• thermoses
• LED lights
• heating fans

To enable children to continue their education, we distribute power banks that allow them to charge their phones and computers for distance learning.

Portable power stations are distributed to families with children with disabilities. They provide basic lighting, keep the internet running, and enable necessary assistive devices to be charged.

During the seminar on the theme "Two years of the reform agenda – what has happened and how do we move forward? Erikshjälpen's Secretary-General Ingeson highlighted the organization's work in Bangladesh. This is a long-term effort in which children themselves participate in disaster risk management, among other things. By showing how children can be active agents of change, Erikshjälpen wants to emphasize that investing in children leads to both safer societies and sustainable development.

Children are hardest hit – and should be the focus of aid efforts

Children are the ones most affected by war, climate crises, and growing inequality. At the same time, children's rights are being pushed back globally. During the seminar, it was emphasized that Sweden has long been a leading voice for children's rights—and that this role is now more important than ever.

The government's reform agenda contains clear statements on children's rights, but children's rights organizations emphasized the need for this to have a greater impact in both thematic and geographical aid strategies.

Important issues discussed

During the seminar, issues such as the following were discussed:

• The current state of children's rights globally
• How children's rights can be strengthened when aid is reformed
• The importance of international commitments and strong multilateral cooperation
• The link between children's rights and investments in education, gender equality, and climate action
• How child participation be ensured in practical social work

Unified voices for stronger Swedish leadership

Participants included representatives from several parliamentary parties and children's rights organizations, including:

• Gudrun Brunegård (Christian Democrats)
• Olle Thorell (S)
• Åsa Regnér (Save the Children)
• Mattias Ingeson (Erikshjälpen)
• Monica Lorensson (Plan)
• Karin Strömstedt (UNICEF)
• Yasmine Ericsson (SD)
• Carina Ödebrink (S)
• Pernilla Baralt (UNICEF)

The discussion clearly showed that there is both a willingness and opportunities to strengthen children's rights in Swedish development cooperation. Putting children at the center was seen as one of the most long-term and powerful investments Sweden can make.