Henry Dunant

Hello. My name is Henry Dunant. I grew up a long time ago in a place called Geneva, in Switzerland. My parents taught me to always be kind. They showed me how important it was to help people who were in need. I always remembered that lesson in my heart and wanted to be a helper.

In the year 1859, I took a trip to a town called Solferino. There, I saw something that made me very sad. A big battle had just happened, and many soldiers were hurt. No one was there to take care of them, and they needed help. I knew I had to do something. I asked the people in the town to help me. We brought the soldiers food and water. We gave them clean bandages for their hurts. We helped every single soldier, no matter what uniform they wore.

That sad day gave me a very big idea. I thought that every country should have special groups of helpers. These helpers could be trained to care for wounded soldiers during battles. In 1863, my friends and I worked together to create a committee to make this idea happen. This group became known as the Red Cross. We gave it a special symbol so everyone would know its helpers were safe: a bright red cross on a white flag.

My idea worked. In 1901, I was given a special award called the Nobel Peace Prize for helping create the Red Cross. I lived to be 82 years old. Today, helpers from the Red Cross and Red Crescent are working all around the world. They bring kindness and care to people who need it the most. Knowing my dream of helping others continues to this day is the most wonderful thing of all.