Ordinary actions in exceptional conditions

The faint light of dawn in the horizon shows that the polar night has not yet started in Inari. The freezing temperature of nearly -20 degrees Celsius turns cheeks red with cold, but the welcome by the Finnish Border Guard is warm, and the handshake firm.

Volunteers of the Voluntary Rescue Service Vapepa coordinated by the Finnish Red Cross and the Red Cross and one of the Red Cross’s own employees have arrived at the Raja-Jooseppi Border Station in Inari from all the different directions. They are here at the request of the Finnish Border Guard, offering support to people arriving at the eastern border.

“After the authorities have received the people crossing the border, they are brought into a warm space where we offer first aid and distribute hot beverages and noodles,” the volunteers explain.

We help people regardless of their background or status.

At the request of the authorities, the Finnish Red Cross was also able to offer aid at the Vartius and Salla Border Stations before they were closed. The role of the Red Cross and the volunteer duties were similar at the different border stations of the eastern border.

“Warmth is vital in these conditions. The people coming in have had some frostbites and wet feet, and we have therefore provided them with clean and dry socks. No other clothes have been needed. All in all, the first aid needs have been minor,” say the volunteers at the Raja-Jooseppi Border Station.

Assisting the authorities is a legally mandated duty of the Finnish Red Cross, and being prepared for various accidents and disruptions is part of the organisation’s basic operations. Ensuring that the basic needs of the people arriving at the border are met is only one example of the many ways the Finnish Red Cross supports the authorities at their request.

“Even if the situation at the eastern border is exceptional, our actions are actually quite ordinary. Upon request, we are systematically doing things we have prepared for as an organisation,” says one of the volunteers.

“And like every volunteer here, I came to perform duties that I have trained for,” says another.

“I help whenever possible”

The group of volunteers at Raja-Jooseppi has people of varied ages and backgrounds from the different branches of the Lapland district of the Red Cross. However, they are all united by the principles guiding the operations of the Red Cross, with humanity as the most important of them.

“I always come to help if my work and life situation allows. Regardless of the situations and the people needing help. All people are entitled to indivisible human dignity, and we help anyone in need of aid, despite their background or status,” says a volunteer who has been in the organisation for more than a decade.

“The opportunity to help was the key reason I became involved in the activities, too,” says a young student who is taking part in the Red Cross’s volunteer activities for the first time.

Seeing people as people

Even if the situation at the eastern border is new, and quite historic, the division of responsibilities and cooperation between the different operators has been clear.

“We work closely together with the authorities operating at the eastern border. And regardless of what it says on our vests, each and everyone of us see and treat the arriving people as people,” says one of the volunteers.

In addition to supporting the Finnish authorities, the Red Cross also has a global duty to help and protect people in particularly vulnerable positions, such as asylum seekers and migrants.

The Border Station is open only a few hours a day, and it is impossible to know in advance when – and if – people will arrive across the border. The volunteer group seems relaxed, but alert. There is enough time to get to know the others and exchange experiences.

“We have people that have worked in similar or in different volunteer duties who come from different places. It is nice to hear the experiences of others and learn from each other.

It is only early afternoon, but daylight in the north is already fading. The Raja-Jooseppi Border Station is closing.

Text and photos: Mirva Helenius

With the decision of the Finnish government, the Raja-Jooseppi Border Station was also closed down on 30 November 2023