The Internationaler Bund – short IB – is one of the biggest independent organizations committed to both youth and social work, as well as education and vocational training in Germany. Please click here for further information about our organization.

IB VAP stands for Volunteers’ Abroad Programs. Every year, our three 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 organizations worldwide. Our volunteers are giving a helping hand in social care and education (working with children, adolescents, elderly people and people with disabilities), in human rights, and in protection of nature and animals.

They usually stay abroad for 10-12 months and help out in the daily work of their host organization. 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 volunteers: these are weltwärts (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, partly 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 only.

For more detailed information about our programs please contact us.

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 also 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 organization, 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 continue to develop. This means an exchange process both for the volunteer, for the host organizations – and also for us as your partner.