Creating assignments
To obtain funding for a volunteer service as part of the weltwärts programme, the assignment in question – in other words, the specific project for which the volunteer will be deployed – needs to be registered with Engagement Global before it is due to start. Only projects that meet the quality and security requirements of the weltwärts programme can be registered. On this page, you can find information about the criteria and process involved.
What is a weltwärts assignment?
Not all projects are suitable for a development-related volunteer service. Volunteers can only be deployed as part of assignments that are geared towards the common good and engage with development policy issues. This means that the assignments involve working with marginalised target groups, focus on environmental sustainability or explicitly engage with other development-related topics covered by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The implementing organisations are tasked with implementing the programme and, by extension, are responsible for the safety of the volunteers. They must ensure that the volunteers are not sent to countries, regions or provinces that have been issued with a travel warning or which weltwärts has been barred from sending people to.
If two assignments need to be registered in the same place of assignment, they both need to be registered independently, as each will be allocated its own assignment number.
Requirements for a weltwärts assignment
The detailed requirements for assignments are laid out in the binding “Catalogue of quality requirements in the weltwärts programme”.
The basic regulations set out in the guideline for implementing the weltwärts development-related volunteer service and the current security notices for assignments, which can be found further down this page, also apply.
Catalogue of quality requirements in the weltwärts programme (PDF, in German)
How are assignments registered?
To register an assignment, implementing organisations use the “Registering an assignment” form. Once this form has been completed and saved, it is then submitted to Engagement Global using the “Send by email” button.
The form must be submitted to Engagement Global by no later than three months before the assignment is due to be allocated. Once this has been done, the implementing organisation receives an electronic confirmation of receipt containing an assignment number.
Random check of assignment registrations
Incoming assignment registrations are checked by Engagement Global at random or on an ad hoc basis. If there are any questions or remarks about potential quality issues, Engagement Global contacts the implementing organisation to clarify any points of uncertainty or to enable potential issues to be resolved.
Once the assignment has been successfully registered, the implementing organisation is notified – and the assignment can now be allocated. After a few days, the registered assignment will automatically appear in the “Application and selection process” section on the website.
Validity and updating of assignments
An assignment’s registration is valid for up to two years. The registration must be updated by the implementing organisation no later than six months before it is due to expire, or even earlier if there are any changes to the assignment information.
To update an assignment, implementing organisations use the same form as the one used to register a new assignment. Once the update has been completed, the implementing organisation receives an automatic email containing the new expiry date of the assignment.
If an assignment is to be permanently discontinued, the implementing organisation notifies Engagement Global of this informally by email, with reference to the assignment number.
Travel and security notices
The list of barred countries is not exhaustive. Assignments cannot be allocated in countries and regions subject to a travel warning from the German Federal Foreign Office. Volunteers are not permitted to make private trips to countries and regions that are barred for weltwärts.
You can find out more about global travel and security notices on the Federal Foreign Office website.
Current security notices for assignments
The current security notices must be taken into account before registering or updating any assignments.
The following countries are currently barred for weltwärts:
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Libya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic
Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Yemen
Europe
Belarus, Ukraine
Latin America
Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela
Oceania
Papua New Guinea
Country-specific security notices for weltwärts assignments
Implementing organisations must consult the weltwärts Coordination Unit before assigning volunteers to Angola.
The following regions are currently barred for weltwärts assignments: the entire border region with Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
For security reasons, it is not possible to undertake a weltwärts service in the following regions: the Nagorno-Karabakh region (including the parts controlled by Azerbaijan), other formerly occupied regions, including the entire border region with Armenia.
There is a travel warning in place for the border region in the north-east of the country, including Comoé National Park and the city of Bouna. Assignments are not possible in these areas.
For security reasons, it is not possible to undertake a weltwärts service in the following regions: Guayas and Esmeraldas as well as the city of Santo Domingo.
The Upper East and North East regions are currently barred for weltwärts assignments.
Due to visa restrictions, assignments to Indonesia are only possible in exceptional cases. Sending organisations and volunteers should bear in mind that the Indonesian authorities have stated that they will not issue the Social Cultural Visa for weltwärts assignments.
The following regions are currently barred for weltwärts assignments: the Far North Region (including Lake Chad), the border regions with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic, the Bakassi peninsula and surrounding areas, and the North-West and South-West regions. Aside from this, implementing organisations must contact the German embassy in good time before planned arrivals in Cameroon to discuss the planned assignment.
For security reasons, the following counties are barred for weltwärts assignments:
Mombasa, Lamu, Kilifi (north of Malindi), Kwale, Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo (northern regions).
The urban and slum areas of Nairobi and Mombasa are also barred for weltwärts.
Due to security considerations, assignments in the outskirts of Nairobi (e.g. Karen, Ngong, Ongata Rongai, Gathaga, Kiambu, Limuru, Thika) can only be allocated if it is possible to ensure, in collaboration with the partner organisation, that volunteers will not be reliant on public transport within the city of Nairobi. This includes all private use of public transport by volunteers.
The south and the east of the country are barred for weltwärts assignments. Furthermore, implementing organisations must consult the weltwärts Coordination Unit before assigning volunteers to Madagascar.
For security reasons, a weltwärts service cannot be undertaken in the east of the state of Sabah or on the adjacent islands, i.e. the ESSZONE (Eastern Sabah Security Zone).
Due to a travel warning, assignments are not possible in the following parts of the country:
the districts of Palma, Nangade, Mueda, Mocímboa da Praia, Muidumbe, Macomia, Meluco, Quissanga, Ancuabe, Montepuez, Namuno and Balama in the province of Cabo Delgado, and the islands off the country’s north coast.
The districts of Mecula, Marrupa, Nipepe, Maúa, Metarica, Mavago, Sanga, Lago, Muembe and Majune in the province of Niassa are also barred for weltwärts.
Unnecessary travel to the other parts of the province of Cabo Delgado is not advised.
The following regions are barred for weltwärts:
- the entirety of Mindanao, including Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX), Davao Region (Region XI), Soccsksargen (Region XII) and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
- Islands of the Sulu Archipelago
- Palawan
The Casamance region is barred for weltwärts assignments.
Implementing organisations must consult the weltwärts Coordination Unit before assigning volunteers to Tunisia.
Implementing organisations must consult the weltwärts Coordination Unit before assigning volunteers to Turkey.