ISHR Wittlich’s 600th aid convoy: help from person to person

Wittlich, 3 July 2026 – The Wittlich branch of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) has reached a special milestone with the loading of its 600th humanitarian aid consignment. Numerous guests from the worlds of politics, civil society and the media, as well as long-standing partners and many members of the public, accepted the invitation to come together and mark this extraordinary anniversary. 

“Every aid delivery is a sign of hope for people facing difficult circumstances. Today’s 600th consignment shows what can be achieved through voluntary commitment, trust and cooperation over many years,” emphasised Carmen Jondral-Schuler, head of the IGFM Wittlich working group, and thanked the founder, Katrin Bornmüller, whose courage, persuasiveness and tireless dedication laid the foundations for this milestone.

For more than four decades, the volunteers of the ISHR Wittlich Working Group have been supporting people in need. The 600th aid convoy represents not only an impressive figure, but above all a tangible demonstration of solidarity, humanity and practical assistance across national borders. The event gave guests the opportunity to experience the preparations for an aid convoy at first hand and to chat with the volunteers. Many visitors were impressed by the long-standing commitment and the large number of volunteers who devote their time and energy to humanitarian aid.
Acknowledgements from the political sphere and civil society

The overwhelming response from the political sphere and wider society was particularly heartening. Representatives from various institutions and organisations paid tribute to the ISHR’s ongoing work and thanked the volunteers for their tireless commitment to human rights and humanitarian aid. Special thanks were also extended to the numerous donors and long-standing partners, whose support makes these aid convoys possible in the first place. Many of them have been supporting the work of ISHR Wittlich for years or even decades, thereby making a vital contribution to helping people in need.
Humanitarian aid from the ISHR

Since its foundation in 1972, the ISHR has supported political prisoners, those persecuted for political or religious reasons, and their families with tens of thousands of parcels. Convoys were first deployed in the early 1980s to support the “Solidarnosc” freedom movement in Poland. Since then, the ISHR has used hundreds of lorries and carried out humanitarian aid missions on the ground in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, North and Central Africa, and Central and South America to support people who, for political or religious reasons, could expect little or no state assistance.

A cheerful atmosphere during loading and at the award ceremony

Update: 6 July 2026. The aid convoy has now arrived in Ignalina at the Lithuanian ISHR branch.

Arrival in Ignalina and a thank-you video from the Lithuanian ISHR branch