Editing Henry Dunant (section)

== Early life and education ==
[[File:Henry Dunant 1855.jpg|left|thumb|Henry Dunant in 1855]]
Dunant was born in [[Geneva]], Switzerland, in 1828 as the first son of businessman Jean-Jacques Dunant and Antoinette Dunant-Colladon. His family was devoutly [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] and had significant influence in Geneva society. His parents stressed the value of social work, and his father was active in helping orphans and parolees, while his mother worked with the sick and the poor.

Dunant grew up during the period of religious awakening known as the ''[[Réveil]]'', and at age 18 he joined the Geneva Society for Almsgiving. In the following year, together with friends, he founded the so-called "Thursday Association", a loose band of young men that met to study the Bible and help the poor, and he spent much of his free time engaged in prison visits and social work. On 30 November 1852, he founded the Geneva chapter of the [[YMCA]] and three years later he took part in the Paris meeting devoted to the founding of its international organization.

In 1849, at age 21, Dunant left the [[Collège Calvin|Collège de Genève]] due to poor grades and began an apprenticeship with the money-changing firm ''Lullin et Sautter''. After its successful conclusion, he stayed as an employee of the bank.