FLY&HELP Founder Holds Presentation at WHU

Education is more than an obligation. It’s an opportunity to have a life lived on your own terms. But many children, particularly those in developing nations, don’t have that same opportunity. The Reiner Meutsch FLY&HELP Foundation has made it their mission to change this. Their goal? To build schools in underserved regions and give all children around the globe a brighter future. Since its inception in 2010, the foundation has been involved in over 850 school projects worldwide. On March 19, the founder of the foundation, Reiner Meutsch, accepted the invitation of WHU’s Campus Lions Club Vallendar to give a presentation on the foundation and its projects. 

Meutsch has already told his own personal story at a separate presentation held on campus two years prior. Once the CEO of a tourist agency, Meutsch pursued one of his dreams by trading his corporate office for the cockpit of a small airplane—and flying around the world. In 2010, he took to the skies, taking off from the German Westerwald. And where his plane could take him—from Ghana and Rwanda to India and Indonesia over to Brazil—he supported local relief missions. What started as five educational projects has since matured into a full-fledged campaign. He gave himself the goal of building 100 schools by 2025—a goal he shattered in 2016. As things stand today, the foundation is a custodian for 30 new educational projects every year, many of which are based in Rwanda.

WHU community presents substantial donations

It’s no coincidence that the Campus Lions Club Vallendar reached out to Meutsch. The club also works to financially support social projects based in the region, including the Filippa’s Angel Foundation (Stiftung Filippas Engel), child advocacy group Koblenzer Kinderschutzbund, social services provider Koblenzer Tafel, and Klasse2000, a health program for schoolchildren. The Campus Lions Club Vallendar WHU, whose members include students, research assistants, and school staff, is the organization’s only chapter in all of Germany based at a university.

Since Meutsch’s previous visit two years ago, WHU has helped raise funds for his projects. At his March 19^th presentation, members of the school presented him with a substantial donation of 40,000 euros, collective donations from club members, private persons, and the school’s other student initiatives. Reiner Meutsch was visibly surprised by the amount of the donation and was delighted to be able to use it to realize new educational projects.