Berlin/Duisburg (04.12.2015). The President of the Duisburg-based aid organisation I.S.A.R. Germany, Dr Daniela Lesmeister, has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal President Joachim Gauck presented the 38-year-old from Kleve in North Rhine-Westphalia with the honour on Friday in Berlin. The head of state honoured Daniela Lesmeister's services to civil protection. Gauck particularly emphasised her commitment to I.S.A.R. Germany. Lesmeister co-founded the aid organisation in 2003. At the award ceremony in Bellevue Palace, the Federal President said that „the commitment of the many volunteers all over the world is a bond that connects us across borders, that brings together people of different skin colours, religions, cultures and languages.“
Lesmeister was impressed by the honour: „I accept the award on behalf of the 170 or so volunteers from I.S.A.R. Germany. Every year, they invest countless hours in training so that they can provide rapid and comprehensive assistance in the event of a disaster anywhere in the world. Without the tireless work of all team members, I.S.A.R. would not have been able to develop so positively in recent years.“
In 2007, I.S.A.R. Germany was the first organisation in the world to be certified by the United Nations as a so-called „Medium Team“ for search and rescue operations following earthquake disasters. I.S.A.R. has thus demonstrated that it fulfils international standards. This means that the aid teams can remain self-sufficient in a disaster region for at least ten days. I.S.A.R. is also able to track down buried people with rescue dogs and localisation technology, free them from the rubble and then provide them with comprehensive medical care.
I.S.A.R. teams have already provided aid following earthquake disasters in Pakistan, Peru, Haiti, Indonesia and Nepal. The area of humanitarian aid is becoming increasingly important. For example, aid workers were deployed in refugee camps in Africa, provided medical aid after Hurricane Haiyan in the Philippines and set up isolation centres for Ebola patients in Liberia.
