Information for partner organisations in the North-South component
The partner organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe contribute greatly to the success of the weltwärts volunteer service. They work with the German organisations to implement the volunteer service as a development learning service. This page contains information that is specifically relevant for partner organisations.
Partner organisations’ tasks
The partner and the implementing organisation draw up a written agreement at the start of their collaboration, detailing which tasks are to be performed by which organisation.
The partners are involved in the organisation of the assignment before, during and after it and in the education and mentoring activities for volunteers. This means that their work should begin as early as the volunteer selection and visa application stages.
In the country of assignment, the partner organisations familiarise the volunteers with everyday life and their place of assignment and help them with any questions or problems. In addition, they supply a designated contact to provide instruction at the workplace for the volunteers plus a mentor who does not work in exactly the same part of the organisation as the volunteer.
If difficulties become apparent or emergencies occur during the volunteer’s period of service, the partner and the implementing organisation will again ensure support for the volunteer and find a solution.
A detailed list of the tasks to be jointly performed by the implementing organisation and the partner organisation can be found in the catalogue of quality standards for the weltwärts programme.
Catalogue of quality standards for the weltwärts programme (PDF)
Volunteers - Who they are and what they do
What can partner organisations expect from German volunteers?
- They are between 18 and 28 years of age. For volunteers with a disability or impairment, the age limit is 35 at the beginning of the assignment.
- Many of them will have completed secondary schooling just before going on assignment and will have a school-leaving qualification that entitles them to embark on a programme of higher education in Germany. Others will already have started or finished studying in higher education, completed vocational training or been in employment.
- As a rule, the volunteers have a basic knowledge of one of the languages spoken in the host country.
- The volunteers bring an open-minded approach, a willingness to learn, team skills and great commitment to a full-time role to support the partner’s projects.
- When they get back to Germany, most of them seek to put their experience to use in development education and civic engagement.
How are volunteers prepared and what do the education and mentoring activities involve?
weltwärts is a “learning service”
Learning from one another, sharing ideas and experiences and working together for the good of the community are what weltwärts is all about - it is a “learning service”, a service that promotes learning. The volunteers are not trained specialists or experts and should not be expected to be. Nor should their work replace ordinary paid jobs. Their contribution is intended to support the work of their place of assignment and is supervised. It is therefore important that the place of assignment can offer suitable tasks for volunteers, giving them sufficient time and support to learn.
Guideline for the development volunteers service “weltwärts” (PDF)