Munich/Sliema (Malta) – March 2016. AURELIUS Refugee Initiative e.V. expands its efforts to help people in distress in the current flow of refugees and supports Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) with an initial donation of €150,000. With this donation, MOAS can finance its operating costs (excluding boat charter costs) for its mission to rescue people in distress in the Mediterranean Sea for an entire month. MOAS is an independent aid organization and has already rescued 13,000 refugees from death by drowning since 2014.

There is no end to the distress calls from the high seas. Often, it is not even possible to get off a call for help. The material is usually in poor condition and the people do not know how to survive in the adverse conditions. The boats, which were not designed for this purpose, cannot handle the rough seas. Once their boat capsizes, usually only a short time remains in which the refugees – frequently also including children – can be rescued.

What sounds like a scene out of a horror movie is bitter reality for innumerable refugees trying to reach Europe. Every day, people try to cross the Mediterranean in overloaded inflatable boats. They have lost everything in the brutal civil war raging in their home country. Their job is gone, their house destroyed, confidence and hope buried next to their dead family members after years of fighting. What remains is fear. Fear that is greater than their concern of dying in a rickety boat on the open sea.

Beyond all deliberation and strategies, the world cannot abandon these people. Whether self-inflicted or not, whether justified or not, whether constructive or not – all these questions take a back seat. The first duty of a civilized society is to provide immediate assistance and save human lives. "We are conscious of this duty and are happy to make a contribution", says Dr. Dirk Markus, Chief Executive Officer of AURELIUS. "With a large donation to Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), we are ensuring that the Responder and its crew can continue rescuing people from drowning in large numbers off the coast of Europe." The initial donation of €150,000 will finance the post-charter operating costs of MOAS' mission to rescue people in distress in the Mediterranean Sea for an entire month.

"We are very pleased with the generosity of AURELIUS. This support is an important aid that enables us to continue rescuing people from drowning. We are driven by the conviction that no one deserves to die at sea and hope that this will also set an example for others to support MOAS," says Martin Xuereb, Director of MOAS.

AURELIUS Refugee Initiative e.V.

The employees and Executive Board of AURELIUS Holding launched the non-profit association "AURELIUS Refugee Initiative e.V." at the end of 2015. The association is financed exclusively through charitable contributions by the employees and Executive Board of AURELIUS. €1.25 million was raised at the 2015 Christmas party. The association has set a goal of promoting various aid projects that provide humanitarian aid and financial support for refugees on their path to a safer and more secure life.

aureliusinvest.com/en/responsibility/aurelius-refugee-initiative-ev/

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About MOAS:

MOAS is a charitable foundation registered in Malta and Germany that was founded in 2014 by Christopher and Regina Catrambone. The independent non-governmental organization has been searching for people in distress at sea and rescuing them from death by drowning since 2014. Since December 2015, MOAS has been operating in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece with the 50 meter long Emergency Recovery and Response Vessel (ERRV) "Responder". Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and two high-speed rescue craft, the highly motivated crew works day and night.

www.moas.eu