The Red Cross

Have you ever wondered who started the Red Cross? Me neither - but once I heard the story I knew I had to share it. Henri Dunant was a very wealthy Swiss banker and financier. He would have continued enjoying a life of wealth and luxury if the events of June 24, 1859 at the age of thirty-one had not occurred.

Dunant was sent to Paris by his government to speak with Napoleon III to discuss a business deal that would have benefited both the Swiss and the French. However, Napoleon was away on the plain of Solfereino to do battle with the Austrians. Dunant hoped to reach Napoleon before the battle started to work out his business deal and quickly return to Switzerland. He arrived just as the battle began. He watched in horror from a hilltop as the men below him battled. He witnessed suffering and death, and could hear the screams of pain. However, it was what he witnessed later which really changed Dunant's life. When he entered the small village nearby after the battle, everywhere he looked, every house, every building was filled with people who were mamed, injured or dead. He was driven by their suffering and stayed in the town for three days after doing everything he could to help. Dunant was never the same again - he became an advocate for peace and mercy. He travelled all over Europe preaching his message. His business suffered and he was soon penniless. But he continued on, so firm were his convictions. At the first Geneva Conference, he spoke passionately against war. As a result, the first international law against war was passed; this movement grew into both the League of Nations and the United Nations. In 1901 the very first Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Dunant. Although he was broke and living in a poorhouse, he gave the entire amount to the movement he had founded, a movement which was by then world wide and called the Red Cross. Dunant had taken his home flag, the Swiss flag and reversed it so that it was a red cross on a white background and made it the symbol of his organizaiton. This symbol is the same today and is still recognized around the world. When Henri Dunant died in 1910, he was almost forgotten by the world; but his organization lives on and has helped millions of people all over the world in their times of need. The next time you see the flag of the Red Cross, think of Henri Dunant and how his dream and passion live on today. Knowing that one person can make a difference in the world . . . it's a good thing!