On a path to collision or unity? We must act now.

LAST AUTUMN, I was driving home from my summer cottage. My car had good summer tyres and the road seemed dry. As evening fell, I approached a familiar intersection. I started to slow down in good time. The tyres had no grip. I pressed the brakes harder, but nothing happened; the car didn’t slow down. My pulse raced, every muscle tensed, and rational thoughts vanished.

The black ice took me completely by surprise. Finally, I managed to control the car and steer it onto the side of the road. I got away with only a scare.

It is fair to say that the whole world was on a slippery slope in 2024. The rules-based world order we were familiar with crumbled, and a feeling of insecurity took hold. Rules that we had taken for granted were stretched and broken, for example in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and in many other crisis areas. The international community appeared toothless and incapable of intervening in situations where people lost their lives or were forced to continue living in dire conditions and uncertainty.

Now we ask ourselves: can we change our course before it’s too late? We cannot always influence major political forces or upheavals. But we can still do something. We can contact decision-makers, write opinion pieces, raise issues, or donate money to those who are doing concrete work for the common good. We can stop this downward spiral.

I BELIEVE THAT VALUES and commonly agreed rules protect particularly the most vulnerable– those whom life has mistreated. The cause may be a natural disaster, climate change or human conflict. In any case, they need our help. We can do our part.

Last year, we were able to deliver 75.3 million euros in aid, and our work directly reached an impressive 840,000 people in the most fragile circumstances. We are grateful for your support.

Read more from our Annual Report.

You have helped children transition to safe school environments; young people find their first jobs or start businesses; and signed agreements that have helped end hostilities. Every euro and every action has helped to halt the global slide towards selfishness and a world where the rules that protect us all are not followed.

An extreme example of this development was the sudden and harsh decision by the United States to cut international aid at the beginning of 2025. The decision terminated nearly 10,000 funding agreements worth a staggering $58 billion and permanently changed the possibilities for delivering international assistance to people in need. Approximately 7 million euros was cut from Finn Church Aid’s projects overnight. The decision will affect at least 200,000 children.

If this trend continues, we will no longer talk about veering from the path of values and rules, but rather a complete collision – a collision whose consequences are unpredictable. We must not let this happen.

We must not give up.