Red Nose Day in Helsinki

As part of the Red Nose Day (Nenä Päivä /Näs Dagen) the Swedish speaking radio channel YLE X3M still broadcasts live today and tomorrow from Kamppi Kauppakeskus from 9 till 18:00. Drop by and take a look at how radio is done. And help donate for the good cause. 

Tomorrow evening at 19:10 the big Red Nose Day gala will be broadcast live at YLE 2 TV.

For more information on the Red Nose Day check out the official website.

Singing for Haiti

Finns love singing. With the initiative Suvivirsi the Fin Church Aid act alliance encourages people to sing together. At the same time they want to draw attention to the situation in Haiti where people are suffering from poverty and the aftermath of the horrible earthquake in 2010.

Today at 17:00 and 19:00 singers from Helsinki come together on Narinkka Square to sing for the people in Haiti. Everyone is invited to sing along. You can donate to Fin Curch Aid at the event or online (by clicking on "osallistu ja auta"). With the money the initiative helps children in Haiti to be able to go back to school.

A glass of water for charity

Now you can donate for charity comfortable while enjoying a drink at a bar. With the Unicef Tap Project you just buy the water you normally get for free for 1 €. You can also decide to give more than that. The money will be used by Unicef to provide children worldwide with access to clean, drinkable water.

Many bars, restaurants and cafés but also shops and other companies in Helsinki participate. So don’t forget to give the extra Euro next time you see this sign.

Red Nose Flea Market

What about strolling over a flea market, looking for good offers and even doing something good with your purchase? As part of Nenäpäivä (Red Nose Day) today is a big flea market in Nosturi at at Länsisatama.

There will be lots of stands where you will find everything from clothes and books to electronics and furniture. All the profit will go to charity. 

And there will also be a program. Famous Finnish bloggers will tell about their flea market experiences on stage. During the whole event Breathe DJs (Jesse Mach, Snapo, Anne Karoliina) will take care of the music.

The market will be open from 10.00 to 16.00. Good luck with finding what you are searching for!

Buy second hand and help others

If you are interested in really good deals when buying clothes you should check out UFF. They have six shops in Helsinki where you can find good quality for a really low price. And the best thing about it is that with going there you support charity.  

UFF is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that supports development projects in countries like Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, Zambia and India. To do that, they collect old but still usable clothes all over Southern Finland. Some of them will be sent directly to the people in those countries. Most of it is sold in their shops though.

With the money they mainly finance training for teachers but also support rural and community development projects, Child Aid projects and projects geared towards the prevention of HIV / AIDS.

To read more about UFF and to find out how where you can donate clothes and where you find their shops, visit their website. You can even buy some clothes online in their web store.

For charity and honor

Today the freshmen from Helsinki University of Technology gathered on the square in front of the Kamppi shopping center for a special ceremony. Divided into guilds (faculties) they stood in line and sang for charity.

This ceremony is part of the process of earning the white hat with the black tassel that makes them fully accepted students. Every year around the same time an event is organized by the older students in which the freshmen have to do something for charity and at the same time prove their team spirit. Each faculty is represented by a handful of freshmen. The faculties colors are shown through the flag and the overalls the students proudly wear.

This year the young students supported an initiative that raises money for elderly people. One evening before Vappu (May 1^st) all freshmen will finally receive their much sough-after hats.