Member organisations
We are the umbrella association for the seven organisations recognised as development service providers under the Development Workers Act (EhfG). Below is a brief introduction to each of the development services:
AGIAMONDO e.V.
AGIAMONDO (former Association for Development Cooperation) is the German Catholic agency for placing experts in the development sector. It was formed in 1959 by Catholic associations and organisations.
As a state-recognised personnel service provider, AGIAMONDO supplies qualified Christian-oriented experts from Germany and other EU countries for development cooperation projects around the world.
AGIAMONDO experts are integrated into the structures of local partner organisations. During their short-term assignments, they support partners in their efforts to sustainably reduce poverty and create fairer and more peaceful living conditions.
As a non-profit service provider, AGIAMONDO works for church-based aid agencies, religious orders and dioceses, and also for non-confessional organisations.
Dienste in Übersee gemeinnützige GmbH (Dienste in Übersee)
Bread for the World – Protestant Development Service is the development and relief agency of the Protestant Churches in Germany. In more than 90 countries all across the globe we empower the poor and marginalised to improve their living conditions.
The work of Bread for the World primarily focuses on the support of projects in the countries of the Global South. An essential feature of our projects is our close and continuous cooperation with local, often church-related partner organisations. Bread for the World– Protestant Development Service supports capacity and competence building in partner organisations by seconding European professionals for an employment based on the German ‘Development Aid Workers Act’. This is based on three principles:
Autonomy: Bread for the World gets active upon request – the partner organisation is responsible for the project.
Independency: The professional is an employee of the partner organisation. His/her contract is limited –for three to a maximum of six years. He/she does not receive any executive functions.
Competence: The chosen professionals possess skills and experience- as well as intercultural competence.
Coworkers – Christian Services International (CFI)
Coworkers – Christian Services International sends experts to countries across the globe to support the work of local Protestant churches and Christian organisations. The focus is on assisting and training local staff. CSI has been a state-approved development organisation since 1985. Its staff is involved in development cooperation projects in a wide range of areas, such as agriculture, health, technical and vocational education and training, renewable energy, advisory services and education.
Right from the beginning, CSI’s approach has not been to initiate projects of its own, but to communicate closely and openly
International Christian Service for Peace (EIRENE)
The International Christian Service for Peace is an ecumenical peace and development service. Since 1957, EIRENE professionals and volunteers have been working with partner organisations in Latin America, Africa, North America and Europe to foster a culture of non-violence, ensure social justice and preserve the integrity of creation.
forumZFD – Committed to Peace
forumZFD supports people in violent conflicts on the path to peace. Established in 1996 by peace and human rights groups in reaction to the Balkan crisis, forumZFD strives to help overcome war and violence.
forumZFD is currently working with peace consultants in Germany as well as ten other countries in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Its Academy for Conflict Transformation offers a learning space for professional, international peace work. Through dialogue events, educational work and campaigns, forumZFD actively advocates civil peace policy.
forumZFD is recognised by the German federal government as a member of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) consortium. It is a signatory of Transparency International’s Transparent Civil Society initiative and finances its work through public and private grants, donations and membership fees.
The organisation was awarded the Gustav Heinemann Citizens’ Prize in 1997, the Göttingen Peace Prize in 2005 and the “Sievershäuser Ermutigung” peace prize in 2014.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
As a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and international education work, we are dedicated to building a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security. The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe, with the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector and governments of other countries all benefiting from our services. We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is our main commissioning party.
All these commissioning parties and cooperation partners place their trust in GIZ by working together with us to generate ideas for political, social and economic change, develop these into concrete plans and implement the envisaged change processes. Since we are a public-benefit federal enterprise, German and European values are central to our work. Together with our partners in national governments worldwide and cooperation partners from the private sector, academia and civil society we work to deliver flexible and effective solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions.
The registered offices of GIZ are in Bonn and Eschborn. In 2016 our business volume was around EUR 2.4 billion. Of our 18,260 employees in some 120 countries, almost 70 per cent are national personnel working in the field. In our capacity as a recognized sending organisation, we currently have 643 development workers in action in partner countries. In addition, the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), a joint operation of GIZ and the Federal Employment Agency, placed 847 integrated and returning experts with local employers abroad in 2016 while providing them with financial support and advisory services. (Figures as at 31 December 2016)
Civil Peace Service (CPS) of GIZ - explanatory film
Weltfriedensdienst e.V.
Peace – Development – Human Rights
WELTFRIEDENSDIENST e.V. engages with people in their attempts to improve their living conditions in the global South since 1959. The areas of engagement are non-violent conflict resolution, rural development, resource conservation, human rights and education. Projects in these areas are supported by experts and financial assistance. These engagements with partner organisations generate expertise and knowledge. WELTFRIEDENSDIENST e.V. uses this expertise for advocacy work in the public discourse about development policies and international cooperation. WELTFRIEDENSDIENST e.V. is a Civil Peace Service provider and an approved partner in the Development Service of the German Federal Republic.