60 years of saving lives

It is 60 years since Christian Aid Week was set up, initially to raise money for people displaced by the Second World War. To mark the anniversary, the charity has released an animated film based on the real-life story of Theodor Davidovic, a Serbian refugee from those dark times.

Now 91, Theodor narrates the film himself. Orphaned as a child, Theodor was sold into domestic service and later joined the resistance movement to fight against the Nazis. When he ended up in refugee camps in Italy and Germany for two-and-a-half years, he received regular parcels from Christian Aid, “and I will never forget it”.

After escaping the camps, Theodor moved to Scotland where he married Betty and had a family. He began volunteering for Christian Aid in the 1970s.

Loretta Minghella, chief executive of Christian Aid said: “Still today there are millions of families … running from conflict  and persecution around the world in search of a safe place.”

Christian Aid Week starts tomorrow.