APUA 4/2020

MARJAANA MALKAMÄKI LEBANESE RED CROSS Lebanon needs long-term aid T HE BEIRUT explosion in August killed at least 190 people and injured approxi­ mately 6,000. An estimated 300,000 people living in Beirut lost their homes. The Finnish Red Cross quickly provided 100,000 euros from the Disaster Relief Fund to support Lebanon as part of the International Red Cross’s relief work. However, the need for help will continue for a very long time. The Finnish Red Cross is using the Disaster Relief Fund to support the Lebanese Red Cross’s opera­ tional capacity, basic health­ care and the preparedness of schools and communities to respond to disasters. In addition to donors, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs is an important sup­ porter of the work of the Red Cross in Lebanon. Support is now being targeted in par­ ticular at the long-term need for aid caused by the Beirut explosion and the prevention of the spread of the corona­ virus. ● Volunteers are the heart of the Red Cross W HEN THERE is an emergency somewhere, Red Cross volunteers are ready to help. To keep the readiness to help strong, volunteers must be taken care of. Training is a prerequisite for volunteering. ‘Training also supports coping in the work,’ says psy­ chosocial support planner Tuula Luoma . Volunteers are trained with funds raised on Hunger Day, for example. In an effort to prevent volunteers from overburden­ ing themselves, they are not allowed to do too much volunteering. It is important to remember that volun­ teering is a hobby. It is important for a helper to take care of their own coping as well. Alongside the individual’s own means of recovery, there is naturally peer support. Thank you to all helpers! ● 11