A humanitarian is a person , who cares about the people rather caring herself or himself.They are humble enough to look beyond the social gap which is face by the needy people.It means, a humanitarian responsible, and conscious on the circumstances of other people's lives, and helping them in need, without discrimination and promotes welfare of the people in many areas such as health, education,discrimination related needs and also in many other fields.Humanitarian means helping people who are suffering and saving lives any time any place in the world.
Each and every sentence above describes that who is a humanitarian.Is it possible to a women to be a humanitarian? Yes.At present we can see that there are so many female humanitarians,but in the past,it was not an easy task to a women to be a humanitarian.I am explaining this fact with the best exemplary female humanitarians.
British family belonged to elite social circles.However From a very young age, Florence was active in philanthropy,which means
the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes to the ill and poor people in the village neighboring her family’s estate. By the time she got to know that nursing is something to her.
At that time nursing was viewed as a lower class job which was done by the laborers to the upper social classes. Because of that and many other social ethics her parents forbade her to pursue nursing. But due to her willing to engage in nursing she refused marriage proposals even. Despite her parents’ objections, in 1844, She enrolled as a nursing student at the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Kaiserwerth, Germany.
Her biggest contribution to humanity was when she volunteered to help in the Crimean war to tend to wounded soldiers. Later in life she tried to bring about reforms regarding the hygiene problems of the Army hospitals. She wrote many books and letters to improvise the treatments and care given to wounded soldiers. She laid the foundation for pursuing nursing as a profession by elite British women and others as well. In the Victorian age the society was cruel towards women taking up this vocation. They felt that for nursing one did not need much intelligence or knowledge; and nurses were thought of as being a little above prostitutes at that time. She changed the whole notion and perspective of the society and gave a new meaning to nursing altogether. She fought till the very end for better health care and proper sanitation facilities after losing more men in the Crimean war due to infections than battle-wounds. She was also a brilliant mathematician and a versatile writer. She was a true feminist and though she was not much of an orthodox, she stayed with the church till the end. The .She was awarded the Royal Red Cross by Queen Victoria in 1883. She also became the first lady to be awarded the Order of Merit in 1907.In 1910, she was awarded the badge of honor of the Norwegian Red Cross Society.
She has faced many hardships as a women to be a humanitarian.But she was successful. she sacrificed her life on the people.She became a real women humanitarian who is honored even today.So now you know her.
Yes she is Florence Nightingale ,who founded modern nursing.
So why we cannot be a humanitarian.We have to think out of the box.We have to care about the needy people.Think.The POVERTY in the world is not a miracle.It is human made.So we, are the responsible even in the poverty or even in the richest society.We all can make this world a better place to live.
By-Shrimali Senevirathna
