In 1943, Danish fishermen ferried Jewish families to safety under the cover of night, but similar acts of courage were echoed elsewhere.
In Poland, Janusz Korczak, a teacher and orphanage director, refused to abandon the children in his care during the Nazi occupation, choosing to walk with them into deportation rather than leave them alone.
In Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, local men, farmers, shopkeepers, neighbors hid children and women in their homes, risking their lives to protect them from violence.
READ ALSO
This spirit of bravery did not end with history, it continues in the everyday actions of boys today.In 2018, a 13-year-old boy named Devin Marshall from Michigan became a local hero when he noticed smoke pouring from a neighbor’s house. Without hesitation, he ran inside and found two younger children trapped in the living room. Though the flames were spreading quickly, Devin guided them out to safety, returning a second time to help their grandmother escape. His quick thinking and bravery saved three lives that day, proving that heroism is not bound by age.
Similarly, in India, a 12-year-old boy named Akash risked his own safety to rescue a toddler who had fallen into a deep borewell, holding onto the child until adults could pull them both out.
Across the world, countless boys have stepped forward in moments of crisis, whether pulling friends from rivers, alerting families to fires, or standing up against bullying in schools.
These stories remind us that heroism is not confined to soldiers or leaders, but is found in the quiet bravery of everyday men and boys who, with instinctive compassion and moral conviction, often become protectors of the weak, showing society that strength can be discovered in the youngest shoulders as well as expressed through care, sacrifice, and the defense of its most fragile members.
Today, we take a break to remember the boys who think, men who act, and their under celebrated efforts that shape families, communities, and the world at large.
The International Men’s Day is all about celebrating the wonderful men and boys all around the world. It is about acknowledging our heroes whose praises are yet unsung and the impact of the men and boys around us and the world at large. This is why theme of this year’s international men’s day is: Celebrating men and boys.
Beyond the cloak of masculinity which men and boys are societally expected to wear and always preserve is the truth that they are more than providers or protectors; they are thinkers, nurturers, dreamers, and builders of tomorrow.
As we mark International Men’s Day, let us take time to celebrate and appreciate the silent heroes around us, the fathers, brothers, mentors, and young boys whose quiet strength and everyday actions continue to shape our families and communities.
