CHAFF VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM

(If you are unable to download this form, send an email to jmatthan@icloud.com for a Microsoft Word version to be sent to you

On completion return form to:

Jacob Matthan, Organiser CHAFF

Chamber For Assistance of Finns and Foreigners

Sarkkatie 7

90250 Oulu

Finland

email: jmatthan@icloud.com

Mobile: +358 44 363 4526

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY

RECEIVED INTERVIEW START REFERENCE 1 2

Please list the currently advertised role(s) that you are applying for

Availability

Approximate date you would like to start work:

Days you are available for work:

For how long do you expect to be available?

Why are you interested in volunteering for CHAFF?

SKILLS

Please indicate in the boxes below the skills that you possess giving a brief explanation

Social Work:

Security:

Office administration (drafting correspondence, answering the phone, filing, fax):

English level: writing – reading – speaking: Finnish level: writing – reading – speaking Swedish level: writing – reading – speaking Other languages (please specify: writing – reading - speaking

Team work experience:

Experience of using your own initiative:

Respect confidentiality:

Ability to work with people from different cultural background:

Tell us of any other relevant skills that you possess: Legal, Driving, Organising events, Organising Media Publicity, etc.

Give details of work experience, relevant skills and/or achievements to support your application.

REFERENCES

Please give the names and addresses of two people who will supply references on your ability to volunteer May we approach them now YES/NO
1. Name		2.   Name
Address		Address
Position		Position
Phone		Phone
E-mail		E-mail

Personal details & equal opportunities

This sheet will be detached on receipt at AIUK and will not be seen by the shortlisting panel

PERSONAL DETAILS

Surname		First Name
Address		Home phone
		Daytime/mobile
Postcode		E-mail

Equal Opportunities Monitoring

The details supplied are confidential and strictly for monitoring purposes only. Ethnic groupings are those agreed by the Commission for Racial Equality.

To which of these groups do you consider you belong? (Tick one box only)

1. White

 Finnish  Swedish  Other European  Other Non-European

Other, please write in:

 Specify, please write in:

Any other White background, please write in:

2. Mixed

 White and Black Caribbean  White and Black African White and Asian

Any other Mixed background, please write in:

C. Asian
 Asian Finnish  Indian  Pakistani  Bangladeshi

Any other Asian background, please write in:

D. Black

 Black Finnish  African

Any other Black background, please write in:

E. Chinese

 Chinese  Other ethnic group Chinese

Any other background, please write in:

F. Other/Prefer not to say:

 Other (Please write in---------)

 Prefer not to say

Gender

 Male  Female

Optional: 
Do you wish to make an investment in CHAFF?

((Minimuim €10 – Maximum € 5000)

(Please ask for details regarding this option.)

Date of birth: Age:

Declaration of criminal convictions

Do you consider yourself to have a disability?

 Yes  No

The Disability Discrimination Act (covers any individual who has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial or long-term adverse affect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

Optional:

If yes, please give details of the nature of your disability and how we could best support you.

I confirm that to the best of my knowledge the information given on this form is correct. Signature                                     Place                               Date

Restart of CHAFF

Chamber for Assistance of Finns and Foreigners (CHAFF) 

The Chamber for Assistance of Finns and Foreigners was set up in 2005 in Oulu to help persons living in Oulu and north Finland with many types of problems including legal matters, getting affordable housing, protection from domestic violence, providing transport facilities, help in moving house, overcoming short term financial difficulties, obtaining temporary jobs (especially for foreign students during summer). 

It was a private group with no hierarchy, and it was run by Jacob Matthan and a group of international youngsters dedicated to help people in distress. (Please go through the CHAFF blog to see what fun we had together!)

CEOs of several international companies operating out of Oulu took part in the activities of CHAFF so that they and their employees could be part of this historic organisation. Fulbright-Professor Kenneth Koleson participated and addressed the CHAFF Group in 2007.

Isaac Sundarajan, CEO of Codenimicon Oy, at his CHAFF farewell 

from Oulu. He now heads multinational LnT Infotech out of California, USA.

Ashesh Kumar, CEO (centre) of (now) Paras Biopharmaceuticals 

Finland Oy, at a CHAFF weekly get together in 2007.

Members of the Oulu Administration leant their helping hand whenever approached for assistance. They brought their foreign guests to take part in the weekly CHAFF get-togethers.

Amongst the many visitors was a Nobel Laureate!

Amongst the many visitors to CHAFF Oulu was a Nobel Laureate, 

Arpad Hamós and his wife, Juliana!

The CHAFF Group helped many persons who were stranded outside the Finnish system including ladies in distress, foreigners stranded due to no fault of their own, reunification of immigrant families, and many others. It helped many organisations to find their feet. A cooperative started during the tenure of CHAFF is a successful running organisation in Oulu.

For 4 years the Group met every Sunday for a very low cost buffet lunch and to discuss and help those who needed it most. 

The CHAFF blog records the very happy times with participants from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Venezuela, Vietnam, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Zambia, etc. (Alphabetical order!)

Culture Shock! An introductory  book about Finland in German by two 

CHAFF members, Hungarian, Ildiko, and husband Finn, Ilari Sohlo, now in Laos!

Our Sponsored musicians cut their FIRST CD in 2007

Thanks to Ilmi Dubrani of Walda, the Thai Boys sponsored by CHAFF, Yut, Khim and Soda, were able to cut their FIRST CD at the Multi Purpose Youth Centre in Maikkula.

One of the most successful projects was the CHAFF HELP FUND which started in 2006. Those who took part in this fund were responsible for helping people in distress while at the same time earning a good return on their small investment and also using the fund whenever they, themselves, had personal financial short term problems. It was real proof that it is drops that make an ocean!

The fund accepted contributions from €10 to €5000. The CHAFF HELP FUND paid an interest of 12% per annum on deposits, which was paid quarterly. It made short term emergency loans to its investors of up to a maximum of 5 times their investment at 2% per month, but for periods of not more than 3 months. A follow-up loan could only be availed 3 months after the previous loan had been closed.

This was of great help to students in distress, small company start ups, emergency trace needs, house shifting, and many other situations which required emergency financial inputs. The CHAFF HELP FUND provided timely assistance for many small firms with short term cash flow problems.

The CHAFF HELP FUND was closed in 2009 as the Finnish economy was buoyant and the CHAFF Group felt there was not any need for such an operation. All money was returned to the investors as soon as all loans were repaid. 

There was not a single default over the 3 years and some 400 persons and organisations benefited from this fund.

It appears that with the rise of the fundamentalists in Finland, there is need for a National CHAFF movement and also the re-emergence of the CHAFF HELP FUND to help those in financial distress. The intention is hold regular meetings at various locations around Finland. Organisers for each locality will be appointed. Espoo, Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Kusamo, Lahti, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Savonlinna, Tampere, Turku,  Vantaa, Vaasa. 

The new CHAFF HELP FUND will be administered by Jacob. Investments, Interest Payments, Loan Applications, Loan Disbursements, Loan Repayments, and all Administrative Services will be carried out by the Economic Services Division of his Organisation.

If you are interested to be part of this new revitalised national CHAFF Group and/or participate in the CHAFF HELP FUND, you can request for the application papers from Jacob Matthan (jmatthan@icloud.com or text message to 044 365 4526) to be sent to you to add your name to our mailing list and/or for making your small investment to help others and yourself at their and your time of need.

Silent March Against Racism

May I compliment Imam Abdul Mannan for organizing the Silent March in Oulu to draw the attention of the authorities to the growing racism in Oulu.

Two dead, two people badly injured in the last two months is unacceptable.

Youngsters - your active participation is very important.

Another case for CHAFF

I had a call from my garage owner, a really wonderful Iranian who has one of the very best garages in Oulu. He has a garage in Haukipudas, and recently opened a new garage, beautifully equipped, next to the Prisma and Gigantti at Limingantulli.

His garages run under the label PERSIALAHDEN AUTOPALVELU.

 He had just finished installing the new engine in my Opel Vectra.

 But the reason he called me was not because of my car.

 He was in tears when I reached there. He had been trying to reach me for a few days.

He has a very nice VW service van, which he has to take out when called to spots to repair vehicles. He also has a nice car for service calls.

 Both vehicles were parked behind his garage, not visible from the entrance to the area and over 200 metres from the road.

It is in a secluded place.

 The windows of both these vehicles had been smashed. 

What could be the reason for such vandalism?

 We will get the standard answer from the Police - NOT Racism.

 Wake up all of you.

The authorities, especially the Police, are not with us. The attacks have been primarily at those who area contributing to Finnish society, positively. The Police does not want to be bothered by our complaints!

 The situation is getting worse day by day.

If you cannot recognize the signs of what lies ahead - woe be upon you!

Not Racism?

I left for Helsinki early on Sunday morning. I reached Espoo at about 2 pm. I parked my car in the Sello Shopping Mall in Leppavaara. I walked in the mall organizing my programme because of the heavy snowfall in Helsinki, making driving and parking in Helsinki and Espoo impossible. I met an old Oulu friend from Morocco in the Mall. He asked me how Mohammad was.

As I know quite a few Moroccans, I asked which Mohammad? He then recounted to me, in Espoo, the happenings in Oulu of the previous night, about 200 metres from my home in Kaukkovainio.

I had been unable to get any information in Oulu as the whole place, the Monaco Pizzeria, where the incident took place, had been locked down by the Police.

There have been three major incidents in Oulu during the last two months:

One young Pakistani student badly mauled,
One 18 year old Somalian dead,
Two Moroccan shots dead in Oulu,  and

the a member of the Fundamentalist Finns (Perussuomalaiset) Political Party, Timmo Rautio, suggested on his Facebook page that a Medal be given to the Finn who shot dead the Moroccans.

Most interestingly, the Oulu Police question whether there is a racist motive?

What stupidity.

If I was today active in Migrant activities, I would have immediately asked for the arrest of Timmo Rautio and I would have brought charges against the Oulu Police for total incompetence.

Rautio has since removed the offending post from his Facebook Page. That shows he is just a coward unable to stick by his convictions! And the Perussuomalaiset Party has suspended Timmo!

It is very strange how a person (Janne) serving a term of 11 years for brutal manslaughter (killing a friend by axing him repeatedly) and another sentence for another knifing incident, was out in the open rather than in prison or a psychiatric institution under lock and key.

I repeat that this is the time for CHAFF.

If not, every migrant restaurant owner in Finland will have to have security set up outside their restaurants to ensure their own safety. I would suggest that the cities would be charged for this as this is a result of bad political stances by ALL political parties.

May I observe when the Turks were being harassed in Germany, targeted and killed, all they did was to violently react against their oppressors. That put the German racists quickly in their place. The Turks are not being troubled any longer. The "war" that Tommi Rautio is alluding too was quickly ended as people like Tommi and his protege murder, Janne, are nothing but cowards.

Time for YOUR ACTION

You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink.

We have done our task of making you aware of the desperate plight of Finns and foreigners in Finland today. It is only going to get worse.

We have also informed you that there is NOT the Same Law For ALL in Finland.

But the apathy that exists is because the general feeling is that "It does not concern me!"

Annikki and me have done our task and our job in helping Finns and Foreigners for the last 27 years.

Our two hit books, written over a decade and a half ago, "Handbook For Survival in Finland" and "Seven Years Hard Labour in a Finnish Holiday Camp - A Finnish University" gave a deep insight into these problems that exist today.

Paying lip service or socialising will not solve the problems of smashed teeth, broken hands and even death, while the Police and the media, in collusion with the Government and the Bureaucracy, as well as the Judiciary, ignore the signs and create an IMAGE that all is well in Finland.

Finland is a country built on IMAGES which are far from reality!

Whether it be a traffic offence, doing your job and not getting the proper pay, discrimination between men and women, there is no system where you can fight those who are exploiting you.

Forget most Finnish Lawyers as they are probably the most corrupt in the world, only interested in making their minute by minute fees as they rob you blind.

Where does that leave you - literally NOWHERE. At the mercy of those whose only task is to ravage you when they feel like it.

As a foreigner, I have had a very nice life in Finland and done my share of work. I have earned my retirement.

Thanks to the fact that Annikki is a Finn, my problems were considerably less than a normal foreigner - a refugee, a student, an outsourced engineer or an expat.

I have not taken Finnish Citizenship, just as Annikki, even after living 15 years in Finland, did not take on Indian Citizenship. We are Citizens of this WORLD.

We specifically liked Priyanka's comment to our last post. She is an experienced Social Worker. It is young people like her who have to carry the baton forward.

You can use this forum.

If anyone wants Editorial Rights to keep it going, please ask and you will be added. We shall only continue to record what is happening.

If you want to act, do it together as an individual will be mauled, like the young Pakistani student, or driven to death, like the Somalian!

But the ball is in YOUR COURT.

How to restart CHAFF

Those of you had enjoyed the old CHAFF are the keys to restarting a new era of CHAFF.

Please contact all of your friends in Finland, all over Finland, not just Oulu, and tell them what was your experiences of CHAFF.

It is your experiences, positive, which will bring others to the doors of a new form of CHAFF, which should encompass the old and ring in the new.

The main difference will be that, now, besdies being a social get together, it will be more focussed on looking at the problems that confront society, both Finns and foreigners.

Racism is raising its ugly head again in Finland. Two terrible attacks, one person badly mauled and the other died of injuries sustained. The big brother network has been influencing court decisions. Inconsistent decisions between two courts on exactly the same matter. The old story of the Same Law For All not being the system in Finland. The Lawyer's Association has become a joke. The Public Guardianship service is ignoring the dictates of their wards so as to rob them of their inheritance. High Courts are just rubber stamps for the rich and powerful. The Supreme Court refuses to take on cases on the grounds which are too flimsy to be even mentioned here. The Police are harassing foreign looking people.

There are several more issues that have to focussed on by the professional team which has to be set up by CHAFF. This would require a onsiderable amount of finance to get the correct type of Social Workers and Lawyers involved with this work.

Over the years I have met and discussed with competent and dedicated people. Now is the time to set this up as Professionally run organisation.

But the fate leis in your hands!

I am too old to be involved with this but am willing to give a helping and in whatever way is demanded of me.

Restarting CHAFF now

There have been two terrible incidents of racism in Oulu during the last two months. One person was badly mauled but survived. The other person succumbed to his injuries. The Finnish Police and media are covering up these incidents claiming they may not be examples of racism.

The next victim could be you!

There are many other issues which require the existence of a genuine Pressure Group.

To me, it seems to be the right time to restart CHAFF, not as before as a loose social group, but as a professionally run one. I think we have young prople with the right skills to run it now.

If you are interested in restarting CHAFF and would like to be involved, please let me know how you would like to be involved and whether you would like to make a small financial contribution to get it off the ground.

To get it working it would need a sound financial base as other it would flounder. The critics would be all over us.

I will act as a Consultant as we have quite a few highly qualified and competent people all over Finland, not just Oulu, to take on the mantle of CHAFF. But they must be remunerated to do the job well.

Think carefully before you put away this matter for future reference. Tomorrow never comes!