In early September, Loza Foundation’s new Chair, Johan Isacson, and Board Member Lina Brustad travelled to North Macedonia to follow the organisation’s field work and meet local partners. The visit provided a deeper understanding of the practical complexity of extreme poverty.
From 1–5 September 2025, Loza Foundation’s new Board conducted its first joint field visit to North Macedonia. Johan Isacson and Lina Brustad visited several areas where the organisation works together with local teams and partner organisation Dendo Vas, focusing on families with children living in extreme poverty.
The purpose of the trip was to give the Board a clear picture of how the work is carried out on the ground and the challenges families face in their daily lives. During the visits, it became clear that poverty is not only about a lack of food or money, but also about identity, language, education and access to public services.
“For me, the trip offered entirely new perspectives on poverty. Lacking food for the day is concrete and easier to understand but being trapped in poverty generation after generation due to a lack of identity documents, language skills and schooling is harder to grasp unless you see the consequences with your own eyes,” says Lina Brustad.
Johan Isacson describes the trip as crucial for understanding the organisation’s work beyond reports and summaries.
“Being on site and meeting families and field workers provides a completely different understanding of how complex this work is. It involves long-term processes where small changes can have a significant impact on individual lives,” says Johan Isacson.
During the trip, the limitations of available resources also became clear. The needs are extensive and far exceed the organisation’s capacity. At the same time, the importance of recognising the concrete difference the work makes in individual cases was highlighted — for example, when a child gains access to medication or when a family can begin the process of obtaining identity documents.
Sabina Grubbeson, Secretary General of Loza Foundation, emphasises the importance of the Board gaining this kind of close-to-field experience.
“When the Board sees the work on site, a shared understanding is created of both opportunities and limitations. This provides better conditions for sound decision-making and long-term responsibility for the organisation’s work,” says Sabina Grubbeson.
The field visit confirmed the Board’s shared understanding of Loza Foundation’s work: that extreme poverty is multifaceted and requires presence, structure and persistence over time.