The Internationaler Bund – short IB – is one of the biggest independent organisations committed to both youth and social work, as well as education and vocational training in Germany. Please klick here for further information about our organisation.
IB VAP stands for Volunteers’ Abroad Programs. Every year, the 3 IB VAP teams (one located in Nuremberg in the region of Franken = IB VAP Franken, one located in Kassel = IB VAP Kassel and one in Offenburg in the region of Baden = IB VAP Baden) are sending young German volunteers aged between 18 and 28 years to our partner organisations worldwide. You can get an impression of our partners worldwide here (the documents on each partner organisations so far are only available in German).
The volunteers are giving a helping hand in the areas of social care and education (working with children, adolescents, elderly people and people with disabilities), in the field of human rights, as well as in the area of protection of nature and animals.
They usually stay abroad for 10-12 months and help out in the daily work of their host organisation. The voluntary services are usually beginning in August/September and they are ending in July/August the following year.
Our current partners are located in several countries in South America, Africa, Europe, as well as in the USA, in Australia, New Zealand, India and in Israel.
On behalf of the German Government, we offer two programs to the volunteers: these are weltwaerts (partly funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ; there is a site in English as well as in French and Spanish) and IJFD (International Youth Voluntary Service, party funded by the German Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth, BMFSFJ; with an English site).
We also offer a more flexible voluntary service IB Volunteers (not funded by the German Government). Further information to this program are provided in German, English and Spanish.
The framework of our activities is also available in German, English and Spanish.
For more detailed information on how we are working, please download the pdf in English (FAQ for current and potential partners_english) or Spanish (FAQ for current and potential partners_español). You will find information on the application and matching process at IB VAP Franken for the programes in German, English and Spanish.
In case of emergencies with volunteers, we will be in close contact with you. We have gained a lot of experience in dealing with crises, conflicts and other challenges, so you can trust that our cooperation will also be successful when it comes to emergencies. For health issues, our insurance will be able to help quickly and effectively. Please download and print the following document with important contact details in English or Spanish. We are also glad to provide a volunteer security checklist for partner organizations or Lista de control para Organizaciones Contraparte de weltwaerts (which does not only refer to the programme weltwärts, but also to IJFD).
But, hey! It's not all about emergencies and security! Having volunteers around is fun, and hosting an international volunteer will most likely contribute to a (more) multicultural atmosphere in your organisation, and to different visions of and approached to the daily work. It will also bring you in contact with a young person who is eager to learn and develop further. This means an exchange process both for the volunteer, for the host organisations - and also for us as your partner.
Here are voices of some of our partners:
“We very much enjoy working with your organization and look forward to our continued collaboration. Thank you very much for your hard work and cooperation.” (Camphill Village USA Inc.)
“El voluntariado de IB es muy importante para IPODERAC. Hemos tenido muy buenas experiencias de trabajo. Esperamos que podamos recibir más voluntarios de IB en nuestra institución.”(Instituto Poblano de Readaptación, A.C., Mexico)
“A mutual benefit for both – BSSK too acknowledges Volunteers greatly contribute towards the children in developing the social, emotional and communication skills of the children. And volunteers too gain knowledge about India, the culture and learn from their experience being with children with normal as well challenged children.” (BSSK India)
Picture: Partner-Dialogue 2014 Tanzania
