A young stockbroker at the time, Winton went great lengths to not only save these children from concentration camps by organizing trains from Prague to England, but also organized foster families and homes for all the refugee children. All this he accomplished while facing problems in convincing the British custom officials to allow the children into the country despite a log of documentation.

Former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, described Winton as “a real hero of our times”, and said that:

Courage led him to risk his life to save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people. His inspiration will live on.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Winton’s story is that his efforts and successes in saving hundreds of lives went almost entirely unnoticed for decades. It wasn’t until his wife discovered a scrapbook containing the list of all the children whose lives he had saved that Winton’s remarkable role came to light.

Photo credit: MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images

The surprise reunion of Winton with the rescued children on the show “That’s Life” in 1988 demonstrates a small aspect of the immense impact this man had on the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people. The look of utter gratitude and appreciation on the faces of the rescued children, now grown adults, is unmatched and indescribable. Winton himself is moved to tears as he sees the lasting impact of the selfless deeds he had committed years ago.

The beautiful memorial shows only an ounce of the immense impact this man made on the lives of thousands, not just by saving their lives, but by serving as a prime example of the power of doing good.

As stated by one of the many children Winton himself saved, “he had no ulterior motive”. He was not seeking fame or recognition for his actions, nor was he anticipating any financial success to stem from his acts of selflessness, his sole purpose was to help as many children as he could, and in that lies his rarity and honourable character.

We often overestimate how large an impact our actions can have. We’re quick to assume that a single person doesn’t have the power to make a difference, let Nicholas Winton serve as an example that all our actions have implications, and let us not stand blind to atrocities happening at our own hands.

Source: www.latimes.com

People like Sir Nicholas Winton are becoming increasingly rare. Our fear and prejudices are overclouding are basic human tendencies to help and care for one another, and as ignorance continues to plague us, it appears as though we are losing every last shroud of our humanity and regressing into a culture of hatred and fear.

Freedom is defined as a human right. Human rights are not selective and do not only apply to a certain race or culture, nor should they. It’s easy to prioritize our own safety and wellbeing over others, but we must remember the legacies of those like Winton, whose selflessness and passion for helping others ignited a force and legacy that continues to inspire and encourage many to help others.

This man is not only an inspiration, he is the embodiment of what we should all strive towards as humans – not fame or success or money, rather to aid each other in the many plights of the world. Help is a large notion, but it is a simple action. It just takes the decision to set aside prejudices and selfish desires to dedicate oneself to standing up for what’s right and helping those in need, because at the end of the day, our religion, race, or sexuality, does not set us apart as humans. We all breathe the same air, share the same emotions, and deserve the same chance to live and experience life.

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Despite all the hardships, sufferings, tragedy and victims we have suffered, Serbia is not alone. Neighbouring countries: Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia were the first who offered and provided assistance in dealing with this natural disaster. When such things happen, our religion, nation and the language we speak become less important. There is no more division among us. We are all one, hoping that this unity and solidarity will last longer, not just now but in the following years as well.

Here are a few examples of fraternal solidarity and assistance that should be mentioned. Big thanks to all the countries in the region for helping us and supporting us. A contingent of the Army of Montenegro has headed this morning to Serbia from its base in Danilovgrad. They were followed by buses full of volunteers, organised by the Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth of Montenegro. Atlas company has sent 100,000 gallons of water, while the President of the Group personally donated EUR 50,000. Water plant Lipovo from Kolasin has organised an additional production in order to send urgent assistance to Serbia. Some municipalities also merged and sent financial aid, manpower, technology, food and blankets. Montenegro has opened a bank account for individual payments intended for those most affected by floods that have hit Serbia.

Croatia was among the first to respond to Serbia’s appeal to help. The Red Cross of the Republic of Croatia has launched the action to raise funds for the flood-endangered population in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Financial aid is being received by online donations on websites of Croatian Red Cross.   Croatia also provided two military transport helicopters with crews and personnel to help those affected by floods.

The Slovenian government sent an additional special civil protection unit to Serbia, together with 19 experts, military helicopter, eleven vehicles and two special pumps for water draining. The Macedonian government decided to send 75 special unit members as assistance to flood-hit Serbia.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations immediately sent an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft with 70 rescuers. The Russian rescue team also includes 20 divers with most up-to-date equipment. They took part in the rescue of citizens of Jagodina and surrounding villages, as well as in other flood-affected areas in our country. Two more planes of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations will deliver 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Serbia, including boats, equipment for water drainage and electricity supply, food and blankets.

The EU has sent to Serbia high-capacity drainage pumps and a team of experts tasked with providing assistance in the removal of consequences of the floods. Austria, Bulgaria and Germany were among the first to send assistance. The plan is to send helicopters. France has joined as well and sent 34 rescuers, ten motor boats and other equipment used in rescue operations. In addition, through its company in Serbia “Tigar Tyres” France has donated 1.2 million dinars to help the most vulnerable, and sent 5,000 pairs of rubber boots intended for residents of the flooded areas.

Israel has decided to help by sending medicines, blankets, raincoats, rubber boots and food.   Hungary granted five boats and helicopters for the rescue action and the Czech Republic granted assistance comprising a rescue team and a high-capacity drainage pump, as well as a boat and seven vehicles for various purposes. The United States donated $100,000 for the procurement of equipment and non-food items adequate for assistance to the flooded areas in Serbia. The Serbian people will never forget this!

We are and always will be inspired by good deeds and acts of kindness and respond in the same way whenever we are able to – whether it is to help a neighbour, friend, family, or a complete strange. Your little means so much to others and can change their lives.  

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