“The best way to find oneself is by getting lost in serving others.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Fridtjof Nansen (1861 – 1930)
Scientist, explorer, diplomat, and peacemaker. He became famous for his polar expeditions but is also remembered for his humanitarian work. After World War I, Nansen tirelessly helped refugees scattered throughout Europe and Eurasia. During the period of great famine (1921-1923) that struck Russia and Ukraine and resulted in the deaths of approximately thirty million people, Nansen, as the head of the Red Cross and League of Nations volunteers, saved millions of lives, mostly children. He organized the largest refugee exchange in history during the Greco-Turkish War. In his honor, the League of Nations established the Nansen International Office for Refugees.