Friends of AviAssist launched to support African safety

AviAssist has launched the 'Friends of the AviAssist Foundation': a charitable network for the good of the aviation safety in Africa. Friends of AviAssist will support the work of the AviAssist Foundation in promoting professionalism in African aviation safety that AviAssist has been carrying out for 20 years.
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“It is easy to forget that thousands of professionals in Africa work hard every day at making commercial aviation the safest form of transportation, also in Africa. They do so not because they expect special recognition. They think safety and act in ways that promote safety because they know the aviation industry and their economy depend on that and because it is the right thing to do” explained Hans de Jong, chairman of the Friends board.
“Friends of AviAssist will support AviAssist by recruiting professional volunteers from the Netherlands and beyond to work alongside their African colleagues in promoting aviation safety as resources and trainers. On top of that, Friends of AviAssist will make grants to the AviAssist programs from the membership fees and from grants” De Jong elaborated.
"The Friends membership fee of €50 for individuals is a relatively small amount for individuals and offers a great return in terms of benefits such as a subscription to our full colour quarterly SafetyFocus magazine and networking opportunities at our annual conference”.
Individual and business members will be invited to events that will also offer the opportunity to Dutch and European companies to better prepare for venturing into the growing African market. The new organization was also established to strengthen the Foundation’s presence in the Netherlands and Europe and to help change the perception of African aviation throughout the world.
Friends of AviAssist will host its first conference at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences on the afternoon of Wednesday June 24th, with an interesting line up of speakers and a presentation on the valuable work of the AviAssist Foundation. This launch event is free, also for non-members. For more information about the event and registration, go to https://www.facebook.com/friendsofaviassist.
“The Friends of AviAssist offers aviation enthusiasts and professionals a wonderful opportunity to connect to African aviation and demonstrate their support and solidarity. We are very pleased with this initiative,” AviAssist Foundation Director Tom Kok commented.

Board members Marily Heyster, Hans de Jong & Henk de Groot make the Friends a reality