weltwärts
connects

weltwärts
connects

Becoming a weltwärts partner organisation

The strong partnerships between the German implementing organisations and the organisations in our partner countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Oceania are the essence of the weltwärts volunteer service.

Requirements for partners on the weltwärts programme

A key requirement of the weltwärts volunteer service is that the programme must be implemented by the participating organisations, working as partners. This means that German implementing organisations seeking to take part in the weltwärts programme need a partner organisation in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania or Eastern Europe and vice versa. The two sides set out the underlying principles for their collaboration in a joint document they draw up before they begin working together.

Participation and collaboration in weltwärts are based on the programme objectives and the United Nations Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Due to weltwärts’ development focus, partner organisations on the programme must be based in a country on the OECD’s DAC list. Furthermore, there must not be any travel warnings from Germany’s Foreign Office in relation to countries of assignment in the weltwärts North-South component.

DAC list on the OECD website

Objectives of the weltwärts programme

Establishing and expanding partnerships

Most organisations draw on existing partnerships for their involvement in weltwärts.

There are also various ways in which partner organisations can find German organisations with which to collaborate, e.g.:

  • “Finding German implementing organisations” search function
  • Contact via the quality associations
  • Contact with partner networks

Detailed information

Finding implementing organisations in Germany

Sending organisations
Host organisations

It is also possible to contact German implementing organisations via the quality associations

Quality associations

Global South partner networks

weltwärts joint operation

The following list, in which any partner organisation from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania or Eastern Europe can register, can also be of help when seeking further networking opportunities.

Finding partner organisations

Stepping up your involvement: Participating in the South-North component as an approved partner organisation

Things are often easier for organisations that are already involved in a partnership in the North-South component. The assessment process for their German partners for the South-North component is simpler as they have already been approved for the North-South volunteer service.

Currently, there are more interested organisations and applications for the South-North component than there are available places in Germany.

Educational plans for North-South and South-North volunteers

When applying for funding under the weltwärts programme, implementing organisations must enclose a plan for the education and mentoring activities for volunteers. Details of their partner organisations are required for this plan.

The following document provides additional information on what needs to be included in the plan:

Information on North-South educational plans (PDF)

External certification

The implementing organisations are required to prove the quality of their activities in the volunteer service by means of periodic external certification. This process involves collecting data and producing reports, for which the partner organisations’ details can also be helpful.

Quality and security matters

Published by / Editor: Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022

Guideline for the Implementation of the weltwärts Development-Related Volunteer Service (2024)

The guideline describes the key objectives, legal and financial aspects and other elements of the framework in which the North-South component and South-North component operate, plus the accompanying measures for the weltwärts volunteer service.

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