“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.”

LOG/WoH Appoints Middle East Representative 

Former Mayor of Erbil, Nehad Qoja, supports Humanitarian Projects of Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen/Wings of Help

Nehad Qoja, Middle East Representative of LOG/WoH

The diverse efforts of Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen/Wings of Help (LOG/WoH) in the Middle East, especially in the Arab world, are now being supported by an expert with extensive contacts in the region itself: LOG/WoH has recruited the former mayor of Erbil/Kurdistan, Nehad Qoja, as a volunteer representative specifically for this part of the world, which significantly simplifies collaboration and project coordination. LOG/WoH has been active in northern Iraq with aid efforts for more than ten years, particularly supporting the Kurdish population in the now autonomous region, some of whom are housed in large tent cities. LOG/WoH works in northern Iraq with the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF), which currently supports 29 camps with more than 300,000 refugees.

Nehad Qoja, a personal member of LOG/WoH for over ten years, was mayor of the city of Erbil, which has a population of one million, from 2004 to 2017. He now lives in Erbil and Bonn. He is the founder of the German School in Erbil and was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 2017 for his commitment. He speaks five languages ​​and is a co-founder of the ETTC in Erbil, the European Technical Training Center. He currently oversees LOG/WoH’s computer schools in the Barsima, Dohuk, and Hassan Sham camps, together with the prestigious BCF Foundation. After his time as mayor, Qoja worked as curator of the historic Citadel of Erbil – a World Heritage fortress whose settlement dates back to 5,000 BC. It is considered one of the oldest fortresses in the Middle East and is under UNESCO protection.