In the Line of Fire.

• Author: VILBIG, PETER
• Position: Services of young relief workers in international aid

WHEN THE DISASTER BREAKS OUT IN A REMOTE CORNER OF THE WORLD, YOUNG RELIEF WORKERS PICK UP THE PIECES

The headlines blare out tales of war, famine, and oppression. But lost amid the horror are the stories of heroism and personal sacrifice happening in the background. Whenever a crisis calls, legions of relief workers move in, often at great personal risk, to help the victims. These mostly youthful heroes distribute the food and set up the tents--sometimes dodging bullets in the process so that the victims of political misfortune have a chance to survive another day. Here are the stories of four people who, at a time in their lives when most young people are dreaming of a new car or job, chose instead to save the world--one person at a time.

SHELL-SHOCKED REFUGEES AT 4 A.M.

NIGEL PONT GIVES SHELTER FROM THE STORM

At age 18, Nigel Pont was put in a situation few teens will ever confront: As the manager of a camp for 130,000 refugees in Afghanistan's civil war, he and co-workers were distributing tents in a small village when they were caught in a crossfire between rival Islamic militias fighting for control of the country. Huddling under the gunfire, Pont learned what he considers an essential lesson-in relief work, you can check your machismo at the door.

"We could have dealt with that situation," he says, still thankful that none of his coworkers were hurt, "by not getting into it in the first place."

Pont has learned his lessons well, going on to become, at age 25, one of the premier relief workers in the world, with experience in some of the hottest trouble spots, including the Yugoslav province of Kosovo, where he managed camps in the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

Pont says his decision to become a relief worker probably owes a lot to his British parents, who were themselves relief workers. He was raised in Pakistan while they were working there. But this very practical, no-nonsense young man found that his experience in Afghanistan, bringing food and shelter to those displaced by tragedy, made him sure about his career choice.

"I found out that as a young guy I could make a difference," he says. He also learned that he needed a college education, so he took a degree in environmental engineering.

FLEEING NATO'S BOMBS

After college, Pont went to Yugoslavia, where he worked for Mercy Corps, a relief organization based in the U.S. He was at ground zero during the increasing buildup of tension in the Serbian province of Kosovo, where Yugoslav dictator Slobodan Milosevic was forcing ethnic Albanians from their homes.

When NATO, the military alliance that includes European countries and the U.S., decided to bomb Yugoslavia, Pont was evacuated to nearby Macedonia, but he didn't have long to wait before a stream of ethnic Albanian refugees--about 1 million were displaced from their homes by Yugoslav forces--began showing up at...