Mathilda Fredrika "Amanda" Cajander, née Nygren (10 January 1827 – 23 February 1871),[1] was a Finnish deaconess and a pioneer within medical care in Finland.
[3] The wealthy Finnish philanthropist Aurora Karamsin was familiar with the institute and when she decided to open a deaconess institution in Helsinki she invited Cajander to be its first principal.
To begin with, the institute was modest – a small hospital with eight beds, an orphanage and an asylum – and aimed to primarily help women and children and to care for the sick.
[4] In 1869 Cajander founded a children's home in Helsinki.
[7] Cajander and Karamsin are considered the first Christian philanthropists in Finland, and are credited with introducing the new idea of women having a vocation to work for the church.