FOUNDER, BE AN ANGEL
ANDREAS TÖLKE
BE-AN-ANGEL.ORG
LOCATION: BERLIN
"WHEN THE REFUGEE CRISIS STARTED IN 2015, ANDREAS TOELKE OPENED HIS APARTMENT AND WELCOMED OVER 400 PEOPLE TO LIVE THERE, WHILE APPLYING AND WAITING FOR ASYLUM. IT WAS A LIFE CHANGING TIME FOR ANDREAS: HE QUIT HIS JOB AS A WELL-KNOWN LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST TO BECOME A PROVIDER OF HUMANITARIAN AID. ANDREAS THEN STARTED THE NGO BE AN ANGEL, A CHARITY ORGANIZATION FOR REFUGEE SUPPORT FROM CONFLICT AND WAR ZONES. IT EVACUATES AND HELPS PEOPLE IN NEED FROM SYRIA, AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, IRAQ AND UKRAINE WITH GENERAL SUPPORT AND JOB PLACEMENTS. IN 2018 ANDREAS INITIATED THE BERLIN RESTAURANT KREUZBERGER HIMMEL AS A PLACE OF INTEGRATION WHERE REFUGEES GET TRAINING AND JOBS. IN TIMES OF WAR AND INSECURITY FOR SO MANY WE NEED TO FOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENTS OF CHARITY AND I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT ANDREAS TÖLKE’S EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT SHALL RECEIVE APPRECIATION."