“Transparency is part of our credo"

Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen/Wings of Help joins the ITZ Transparent Civil Society Initiative

Absolute transparency is an important challenge for the continued existence and development of an aid organization: clarity about the structure, the targeted use of donations, the secure implementation of missions and actions at home and abroad are essential. Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen/Wings of Help (LOG/WoH), which has been a member of the German Donation Council for many years, has now also joined the Transparent Civil Society Initiative (ITZ), to which around 2000 organizations are now voluntarily members. ITZ was launched in 2010 by Transparency International and is supported by the Federal Association of German Foundations, the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI), the German Cultural Council and the German Donation Council, among others.

The sponsoring group ensures that the initiative is disseminated and carries out random checks to ensure that the requirements are met. The signatories of the initiative undertake to make relevant information about their organization easily accessible to the general public in a specific format. At LOG/WoH, this can be found at www.wingsofhelp.org/transparency. LOG/WoH says: “Transparency has been part of our organization’s credo since LOG/WoH was founded 22 years ago. This is demonstrated by the long-term support from companies and private individuals who value our work, which is primarily supported by volunteers. The ITZ logo can be found on the first page of the homepage www.wingsofhelp.org, and it leads directly to the requirements that ITZ also places on us.”

School near Athens relies on help from Germany

Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen/Wings of Help supports the educational centre of the Greek organization The Smile of the Child

Costa Yannopoulos (right), founder of The Smile of the Child, with LOG/WoH President Frank Franke in the education centre in Koropi near Athens.

The cooperation has lasted for 15 years and has been continuously developed. Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen/Wings of Help (LOG/WoH) supports the aid organization The Smile of The Child as the largest non-profit institution in Greece – from caring for refugees in camps on Greek islands to actively helping families who have lost everything in forest fires in Greece.The Smile of the Child is the most important non-governmental organization in the country with many locations across Greece and also operates a large educational centre near the capital Athens, to which several branches are connected.The Smile of the Child’s educational program in Greece currently supports over 97,000 children and young people, who are to gain access to basic knowledge and further learning programs through this commitment. LOG/WoH has just donated several dozen learning computers for young people, which were purchased through the LOG/WoH fund.They are part of the LOG/WoH initiative “Education is Future" (BIZ/EIF), which operates at an international level.

Classes in ten countries are currently working with over 1000 computers provided by LOG/WoH. LOG/WoH President Frank Franke handed over the computers and IT accessories to Costas Yannopoulos, the founder of the Greek organization, at The Smile of the Child’s education centre in the Athens suburb of Koropi. They are used directly in the education centre or in schools where IT support is currently lacking. Love, affection, respect and help in many areas – this is the guiding principle of The Smile of the Child, with well over 1000 helpers in the country. In 2023, the aid organization celebrated, among other things, its 20th anniversary of membership in “Child Helpline International". LOG/WoH is proud to be part of this humanitarian association through The Smile of the Child, which cares for children in need, missing children and refugee families in Greek regions. In addition to clothing and food, LOG/WoH has now expanded its own initiative “Education is Future” in Greece.