Finnish Red Cross
Encyclopedia
The Finnish Red Cross is a part of International Federation of Red Cross, which is one of the biggest and well-known international organisation in the world and on the field of humanitarian aid
. FRC has over 90,000 members and around 45,000 active volunteers
in Finland
. FRC is divided to 12 districts and 550 local branches around the country. The current General Secretary is Ms. Kristiina Kumpula. By the end of year 2006, the FRC employed 1,168 people, of which 136 were located in the Helsinki
headquarters.
The Finnish Red Cross is based on volunteering
and has branches in almost every municipality in Finland. The organisational structure has three layers: local branches, districts, and the national headquarters. Volunteers
are important decision-makers on every level. On the local level, the activity of the branches is determined in large part on how dedicated their members are.
in the Russo-Turkish War. The FRC was recognized by the ICRC
in 1920 and became a member of IFRC
in 1922, when Finland
ratified the Geneva Conventions
.
In 1948 the FRC took the operational responsibility of the blood transfusion
services in Finland
, which had been operated by the Finnish Scouts since 1935. The FRC transfusion service is a legally independent organization.
and is at the same time an important component of FRC's overall structure. Three of the districts have their own health care
clinic
.
The FRC also runs a national AIDS
helpline and organises campaigns
. In addition, it trains and finds support persons for HIV infected and their families.
Finnish Red Cross Drug
and Alcohol
programme includes prevention work and early intervention. FRC has volunteers
who act as counsellors
in schools and other communities in their own expertise.
The FRC holds a fundraiser
known as Hunger Day every autumn, usually in September. The campaign
has an annual theme; in 2006 people were reminded how desertification
, flood
ing and storms most affect the children under five years of age. On the day volunteer fundraisers can be seen in front of grocery stores and other public places. In schools school meals
can be reduced and served, for example, without salad
, bread
or milk
.
The FRC trains over 80,000 people yearly on the first aid
and CPR courses for the general public
and companies
. FRC has more than 550 first aid
groups around the country with more than 8,000 volunteers. These groups are on duty daily in the majority of public events in Finland
. They can also help in search and rescue
when requested by the authorities. FRC also coordinates the Voluntary Rescue Service which is formed by over 40 civic organisations and over 30,000 volunteers.
The FRC has a national emergency group of psychologists which organises and coordinates psycho-social support in situations they are needed, for example after the Jokela school shooting
.
FRC's Disaster Relief Fund is used to give assistance in accidents and due to social reasons. Domestic aid was about FIM 3.6 million (USD 955,000) in 2001.
It was decided in the Finnish Red Cross 2008 national meeting that youth work will be supported also in the future, and that the goal for 2011 is to gain 5% more youth members.
- personnel, funds, material
- in response to appeals from the International Movement. There are two main sources for funds: FRC's Disaster Relief Fund and the Finnish government. In recent years, the European Union
has also provided funds.
Disaster relief is given to victims of war
, conflict
and natural disasters. Development cooperation improves the capacities and disaster preparedness of newly established sister societies or those with fewer resources. The FRC maintains its own Logistics
Centre and International Personnel Reserve in Finland
. The Disaster Relief Fund provides funds when needed. Funds are collected continuously and preferably as non-earmarked.
FRC's International Personnel Reserve comprises about 600 professionals trained on FRC's basic and further training courses. Approx. 100 of them work in international assignments every year.
FRC is also a member organisation of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
and Reuter's AlertNet
network.
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
. FRC has over 90,000 members and around 45,000 active volunteers
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. FRC is divided to 12 districts and 550 local branches around the country. The current General Secretary is Ms. Kristiina Kumpula. By the end of year 2006, the FRC employed 1,168 people, of which 136 were located in the Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
headquarters.
The Finnish Red Cross is based on volunteering
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
and has branches in almost every municipality in Finland. The organisational structure has three layers: local branches, districts, and the national headquarters. Volunteers
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
are important decision-makers on every level. On the local level, the activity of the branches is determined in large part on how dedicated their members are.
History of the Finnish Red Cross
Finnish Red Cross was founded on May 7, 1877 to care for the wounded and sick soldiers of the Finnish GuardGuard Jaeger Regiment
The Guard Jaeger Regiment is a Finnish Army unit located in Santahamina, an island district of Helsinki. The regiment trains Guard jaegers for fighting in an urban environment...
in the Russo-Turkish War. The FRC was recognized by the ICRC
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
in 1920 and became a member of IFRC
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
in 1922, when Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
ratified the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
.
In 1948 the FRC took the operational responsibility of the blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
services in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, which had been operated by the Finnish Scouts since 1935. The FRC transfusion service is a legally independent organization.
Domestic operations
The Blood Transfusion Service complements the national health servicesHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
and is at the same time an important component of FRC's overall structure. Three of the districts have their own health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
.
The FRC also runs a national AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
helpline and organises campaigns
Civil society campaign
A civil society campaign is one that is intended to mobilize public support and use democratic tools such as lobbying in order to instigate social change. Civil society campaigns can seek local, national or international objectives...
. In addition, it trains and finds support persons for HIV infected and their families.
Finnish Red Cross Drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
and Alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
programme includes prevention work and early intervention. FRC has volunteers
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
who act as counsellors
Rehabilitation counseling
Rehabilitation Counseling is focused on helping people who have disabilities achieve their personal, career, and independent living goals through a counseling process...
in schools and other communities in their own expertise.
The FRC holds a fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
known as Hunger Day every autumn, usually in September. The campaign
Civil society campaign
A civil society campaign is one that is intended to mobilize public support and use democratic tools such as lobbying in order to instigate social change. Civil society campaigns can seek local, national or international objectives...
has an annual theme; in 2006 people were reminded how desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
, flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing and storms most affect the children under five years of age. On the day volunteer fundraisers can be seen in front of grocery stores and other public places. In schools school meals
School dinner
A school meal is a meal provided to students at a school. It is usually served at sometime around noon; however, many also serve breakfast before classes begin in the mornings....
can be reduced and served, for example, without salad
Salad
Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
, bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
or milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
.
The FRC trains over 80,000 people yearly on the first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
and CPR courses for the general public
General Public
General Public were a band formed by The Beat vocalists, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, and which included former members of Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Specials and The Clash...
and companies
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
. FRC has more than 550 first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
groups around the country with more than 8,000 volunteers. These groups are on duty daily in the majority of public events in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. They can also help in search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
when requested by the authorities. FRC also coordinates the Voluntary Rescue Service which is formed by over 40 civic organisations and over 30,000 volunteers.
The FRC has a national emergency group of psychologists which organises and coordinates psycho-social support in situations they are needed, for example after the Jokela school shooting
Jokela school shooting
The Jokela school massacre was a school shooting that occurred on November 7, 2007, at Jokela High School in Jokela, a town in the municipality of Tuusula, Finland. The gunman, 18-year-old student Pekka-Eric Auvinen, entered the school on that morning armed with a semi-automatic pistol. He killed...
.
FRC's Disaster Relief Fund is used to give assistance in accidents and due to social reasons. Domestic aid was about FIM 3.6 million (USD 955,000) in 2001.
Finnish Red Cross youth
The organisation also has youth programs and youth based operations. Members between 13–29 years of age compose 10% of all members and operate on all levels of the organisation.It was decided in the Finnish Red Cross 2008 national meeting that youth work will be supported also in the future, and that the goal for 2011 is to gain 5% more youth members.
International operations
The Finnish Red Cross gives international aidHumanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
- personnel, funds, material
Material
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
- in response to appeals from the International Movement. There are two main sources for funds: FRC's Disaster Relief Fund and the Finnish government. In recent years, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
has also provided funds.
Disaster relief is given to victims of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, conflict
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
and natural disasters. Development cooperation improves the capacities and disaster preparedness of newly established sister societies or those with fewer resources. The FRC maintains its own Logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
Centre and International Personnel Reserve in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The Disaster Relief Fund provides funds when needed. Funds are collected continuously and preferably as non-earmarked.
FRC's International Personnel Reserve comprises about 600 professionals trained on FRC's basic and further training courses. Approx. 100 of them work in international assignments every year.
FRC is also a member organisation of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
European Council on Refugees and Exiles
The European Council on Refugees and Exiles is a pan-European network of refugee-assisting non-governmental organisations that promotes a humane and generous European asylum policy...
and Reuter's AlertNet
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
network.