Supporter on Site: Lamia in Turkey

We are now active on three continents and in 14 countries. Our goal: to help as quickly and efficiently as possible. How does this work? Thanks to our partners in the countries where we are active! They speak the local language, are well connected, have important contacts and, above all, are on the ground. To get to know our so-called “Supporters on Site” better, we introduce them to you in our interview series.

One of them is Lamia Faqirzada-Özal from the ISS network. With the non-profit organization for intercultural social service, we are involved in the areas in Turkey destroyed by the devastating earthquakes and are building daycare centers in Hatay, among other places.

STELP: Why don’t you briefly introduce yourself. Who are you and in which country are you working with STELP?
Lamia: My name is Lamia Faqirzada-Özal and I am head of the legal department and project management at ISS-Netzwerk gGmbH. We are working with STELP in the Hatay earthquake region in Turkey.

STELP: What do you do for a living?
Lamia: My main job is as a lawyer and I deal with all the legal issues of our non-profit organization, but my day-to-day work is also filled with project management issues, especially fundraising and the communication and visibility of our daycare project in Hatay. I am a volunteer talent partner at the political start-up JoinPolitics and work with the talent committee to find young political talent for the future of Germany.

STELP: How did your NGO come to work with STELP and how long have you been a “supporter on site”?
Lamia: I’ve been following Serkan and STELP on Instagram for a long time and during the earthquake relief work, I started talking to Serkan about the needs and aid. We received great support from STELP at the beginning, which has now resulted in another project. Commitment has been very important to me since my early youth. I was lucky enough to enjoy a good education in Germany and would like to give something back to society. Especially in times of crisis like these, people need us and I can never stand idly by and do what I can. Projects in the field of children’s education are particularly important to me, as they are our future and we adults need to invest in them.

STELP: Which work in the project is closest to your heart and why?
Lamia: It is particularly important to me that we create living spaces for the children in Hatay with our daycare centers and offer them structures again. They need spaces to do what children want to do, play, build, run around and learn. And they can definitely do that in our facilities.

STELP: Do you have a life motto?
Lamia: “Always in the process of becoming, never in the process of being”. Circumstances can always be better and I work for that with love and passion.