15.12.2025

The Finnish Red Cross in 2025 in pictures

Three smiling people standing outside. The person in the middle has his hands on the shoulders of those at his sides. The person in the middle is wearing a red Red Cross vest with the organisation's emblem. In the background you can see a pale sky and deciduous trees.

Photo: Joonas Brandt

Helping and doing the humane thing where help was needed most. Take a look at the pictures to see what our year was like!

A heartfelt thank you to all volunteers, donors, partners, employees and friends of the Red Cross! Now is a good time to stop and take a look at what we have achieved together.

We supported the work of the International Red Cross in Gaza by allocating one million euros from our Disaster Relief Fund to the relief operation and by sending health professionals to the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah. Since May 2024, the field hospital has performed more than 11,000 surgeries and attended more than 800 childbirths, among other procedures.

A person is standing in a field hospital tent with hospital equipment. He is wearing a green hospital gown and a Red Cross vest with the organisation's emblem and an International Committee of the Red Cross identification card. In his breast pocket he carries a walkie-talkie.

Jouni Hirvioja, a specialist in acute medicine and anaesthesiology, worked at the Red Cross field hospital in Gaza as the doctor in charge of the emergency room. "The expertise of my local colleagues in treating trauma patients is admirable and humbling," he said. Photo: Punaisen Ristin kansainvälinen komitea

More and more people in Finland are relying on food aid because of the rising cost of living and cuts to social security, among other things. For many, food aid has become an indispensable part of everyday life. We distribute food aid to tens of thousands of people in Finland every year. Red Cross food aid is open, respectful, safe and friendly for all.

A Red Cross volunteer stands indoors during a food aid distribution event, wearing a green and white checkered apron and a hair restraint. She is holding a plate with a piece of cake and whipped cream. In the background you can see a colourful mural with cartoon characters, white cabinets and a fridge.

“Every weekday we collect the leftover food from schools from the central kitchen. We cool the food from the first few days of the week, pack it in containers and freeze it for future use. Friday's leftovers are distributed warm. We also collect waste food twice a week from grocery stores for distribution. We have ten volunteers, which is good for such a small community," said Anne Sokero, volunteer in charge of food aid at the Sodankylä branch of the Red Cross. Photo: Suomen Punainen Risti

Our mission is to help the most vulnerable in times of crises and disasters – at home and abroad. Our demanding work requires constant training. In the autumn, we organised the nationwide Avun Ketju (Chain of Help) preparedness exercise, involving thousands of Red Cross volunteers, municipalities, cities and authorities. We practised organising emergency shelters, provisioning and distributing material aid.

An indoor situation where volunteers and people gather around a table. At the front, two people sit on chairs and one in a wheelchair, with papers and pens on the table. They are wearing Red Cross volunteer vests. In the background, several people stand in a queue or group, dressed in outdoor clothing such as jackets and beanies. The space has a light wall and a glass door on the left, with lighting from above and outside.

A training exercise to set up an emergency response centre was carried out at Aurinkorinne School in Kuopio. Photo: Matias Honkamaa

We built our field hospital, clinic and mobile clinic in Tampere for international certification. The Finnish Red Cross is one of five Red Cross societies in the world with its own field hospital. The hospital and clinics are always on standby to be deployed to crises around the world, but are also ready for use in Finland.

The Finnish Red Cross is the first Finnish organisation to receive the Emergency Medical Team certification issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO). After certification, the units were packed back to our logistics centre to await use.

A large indoor space with several white tents set up in rows. In the foreground, a large group of people stand in a circle, dressed in Red Cross work vests. More tents, boxes and equipment, such as a generator, can be seen in the background. The floor is concrete and the space is well lit. This is a field hospital set up in an exhibition centre, where Red Cross staff meet to receive instructions.

The field hospital set up in tents is of equal level to a regional hospital, with 24-hour wards for surgery, traumatology, internal medicine, infectious diseases and paediatrics. The hospital also offers gynaecology and maternity services, including a maternity ward. In recent years, the Finnish Red Cross has been involved in clinic and hospital operations in Ukraine, Gaza and Haiti, among other regions. Photo: Marjaana Malkamäki

Our trained friend visitor volunteers brought joy and meaning to the lives of around 40,000 lonely people. Loneliness is a major social problem that the Finnish Red Cross has been working to reduce since the 1950s.

Two smiling people hugging outside in a winter landscape. Both are wearing winter clothes, such as thick coats, hats and scarves. Bare trees and a light-coloured building can be seen in the background, and there is a thin layer of snow on the ground.

Red Cross friend visitor activities brought Pirjo and Marita together. Their meetings are the highlight of the week for both of them. "I get a lot out of this too. Every time I leave Pirjo's cottage, I'm in a better mood. Pirjo is so positive that it is contagious!", said Marita. Photo: Krista Luoma

We have helped hundreds of thousands of people through development co-operation, especially in Africa and Asia. We focus on helping the most vulnerable, such as children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, the elderly and people with disabilities. We are involved in long-term development co-operation with the support of our donors, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the European Union.

A person dressed in white is standing outside in a sandy area, with a single-storey school and pupils in blue school uniforms in the background.

Nasra Balali, 18, attends health club classes once a week at her school, supported by the Kenya Red Cross. She learns about sexual and reproductive health as well as harmful traditions. Balali passes on information to villagers, other parents and young people. The Finnish Red Cross supports the work with help from donors and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Photo: Aki Kolehmainen

When a fire destroys a home, help is vital. In 2025, we supported more than 100 people who had lost their homes in fires by helping with essential purchases and providing emotional support.

Three people are standing outside talking. The person in the middle is wearing a red Red Cross vest and cap, with an identification card on his chest. In the background you can see green trees and sandy soil.

When Sirpa and Pertti Heiskanen's house burnt down in 2023, one of the people who helped them was Red Cross volunteer Kari Korolainen. He came back to help the Heiskanens day after day, installing the TV on the wall of their new home and hanging up their paintings and photographs. Through it all, he listened and offered emotional support. "At least now we know from our own experience what it means to be helped by the Red Cross when you have nothing. It keeps life going," Sirpa said in a 2025 interview in Red Cross magazine. Photo: Joonas Brandt

We organised another Hunger Day collection to help people in need in Finland and around the world. In the autumn, our help was needed in places like Gaza, the Philippines and Afghanistan. On average, we provide aid through the Disaster Relief Fund more than three times a week in the event of a sudden domestic disaster or disruption.

Volunteer collector Princess Appiah Yeboah visited Elielinaukio Square in Helsinki to raise funds for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Photo: Joonas Brandt

We continued to support the Ukrainian Red Cross Society’s diverse relief efforts and help those in need. For example, we support the mobile health clinics of the Ukrainian Red Cross, which bring health services to people in remote areas who would otherwise find it difficult to access care.

Two people are standing outside on a green slope. One of the people is wearing Ukrainian Red Cross work clothes. In the background you can see a pine forest and a blue sky. A white van with its rear doors open is parked next to the people, and inside you can see a large red bag of medical supplies.

“Once again, I got to see first-hand how the Ukrainian Red Cross Society delivers vital healthcare services to some of the most remote areas of the country. This work is carried out in close cooperation with the local authorities, and it complements public services, which are severely lacking in some places. Our role is to support the tireless work of our Ukrainian Red Cross colleagues, now and for a long time to come,” says Toni Jokinen, Head of the International Aid Support and Coordination Unit at the Finnish Red Cross. Photo: Toni Jokinen

Our volunteers were involved in hundreds of events all over Finland. They provided visitors with a range of support, including health and safety information and first aid. First aid skills are an important part of the Red Cross’s readiness to help and the safety of society at large. That's why our work also includes ongoing first aid training and exercises around Finland.

Red Cross volunteers practise first aid situations in wooded terrain. One person lies on the ground in a red coat, simulating an injured person, while another volunteer checks the situation and a third uses a telephone. In the background you can see trees and green grass.

Red Cross volunteers practised, e.g. first aid in a preparedness exercise in Urjala. Photo: Joonas Brandt

Our volunteers from all over Finland shared information and talked to people about topics related to health, such as substance abuse and accident prevention. Health promotion is an integral part of the Red Cross’s preparedness work.

A smiling Red Cross volunteer sits inside, wearing a red vest with an identification card. In the background you can see shelves, red decorative flowers, clothes and household items, suggesting a flea market or donation space.

Krista Ananin (third from the left in the picture) became a Red Cross volunteer at 17 when she completed first aid training during her practical nurse studies. In 2017, she replaced first aid activities by promoting everyday safety. Currently, Krista, who lives in Rovaniemi, organises training sessions and information events on safety at home as a Red Cross Safety Coach. She also works for food aid. Photo: Kaisa Sirén

We distributed 18,000 food vouchers for low-income families with children in Finland through the Good Holiday Spirit collection. The collection was organised for the 29th time. Over the years, more than 400,000 food vouchers have been distributed.

A smiling adult sits on a sofa reading a book to a small child on her lap. The book is called ‘It's fun when it's Christmas’ and has a colourful cover with a winter landscape with red buildings. A small dog is lying on the sofa. Toys and colourful pictures on the wall in the background create a cosy atmosphere.

The Good Holiday Spirit campaign is a joint collection by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare and the Finnish Red Cross to help needy families with children during the holidays. We have organised the collection every year since 1997. “Poverty among families with children is not a situation caused by individual families; it is caused by social structures, which can be influenced by political decisions,” says Esa Iivonen, Director of Advocacy at MLL. Photo: Anna Autio

...And this was just a peek at the work of the Red Cross! Learn more about our operations on our website. You can find more photographs, stories about the help we give and current information by following our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Threads.

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