“Over the course of my career, I have come to realise what an amazing aid organisation the Red Cross is”
There are experts and professionals from several different sectors working at the Finnish Red Cross. We employ people with various work and educational backgrounds.
Marko Korhonen, Head of International Disaster Management
“Preparedness for crises and disasters is practical work that you learn as you keep working. Preparedness is a long-term process, but my work evolves as the world keeps changing. My boss and I agree on things a year ahead even though neither of us knows in which part of the world we will be providing aid at that point.
Over the course of my career, I have come to realise what an amazing aid organisation the Red Cross is. In addition to disaster preparedness, I have also been involved in youth work, fundraising and development cooperation in Nepal and Kenya while working at the Red Cross. I have taken my interest in helping people affected by disasters quite far: In order to take on a years-long job in the Asia-Pacific, I resigned from my job at the time. It paid off. Once I returned to Finland, I received a permanent position in the organisation. As a head, I am able to influence our aid policies: they primarily involve disaster logistics and disaster health management. We also help locals prepare for future accidents.
When disaster strikes, the situation is always unclear. I start to think about how we can help and what we can dispatch to the location. Money is the easiest way to help. When we send out clinics or an entire hospital, it requires thorough assessment and organisation. There is a time and place for lamentation and emotions, but not in the middle of a disaster. If you stopped to ponder the evils of the world, a great many things would be left undone.”
