International Organization

We’re an international organisation, working with over 15 million people in 45 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice.

Our head office is in Johannesburg. We’re the only international development organisation with our head office based in Africa. We also have offices right across Asia, the Americas and Europe. We believe the people whose lives our work affects should decide how we’re run.

And that’s what makes us different. We help people use their own power to fight poverty and injustice. Because that’s how real change happens – for families, for communities, for whole societies.

You can help us make a fairer, better world – wherever you are. Your donations can help more people to transform their lives. Your voice can persuade world leaders to change policies. If you'd like to know more about our new strategy launched in 2011, you'll find lots of information on our People's Action to End Poverty page.

AFS Austria is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.

By providing comprehensive education and vocational training, Don Bosco Mondo e. V. particularly supports disadvantaged children and adolescents in Africa, Asia, Latin America, ond Eostern Europe, enabling them to live independent lives.

Our reliable partners in this endeavour are the Salesians of Don Bosco. With over 7000 children and youth centres in more than 130 countries. Don Bosco provides young people with knowledge, skills, and orientation. The "Don-Bosco Pedagogy" is synonymous for loving care and professional support. lt does not only help young people to develop confidence in their own capabilities, but also conveys values as creativity, team spirit, tolerance, and respect. Our new name is meant to emphasise our commitment to this One World and the global responsibility that connects us here in Germany with people across the world."

One World work, World Church theology, intercultural communication and conflict management are the areas in which many committed people have taken seminars and continuing education courses at our head mission office for more than ten years now.

Process-Oriented Themes
The process-oriented themes are related in an interactive process involving participants and partners as well as experts in the head mission office: from Dialog Lernen (learning the dialog - 1992), Nachhaltige Solidarität (sustainable solidarity- 1995), and Neue Nachbarschaften (new neighbors - 1999),  to today's main focus on Differenzen und Allianzen (differences and alliances) as well as Solidarkompetenz (solidarity competence).

Within the framework of the 'A Soul for Europe' program, the 'Ecumenical Village' (Graz, 1997) and 'Neue Modelle von Solidarität im heutigen Europa lehren und lernen' (teaching and learning new models of solidarity in today's Europe) 2000/2001, have represented important contributions.

Recognition
These programs have been and continue to be supported by the European Union as well as church and state authorities.

Solidarity workshops represent high-quality continuing education measures for students of social and educational professions, members of social groups and programs focus on:

    Agenda 2000
    the monitoring of the financial markets (ATTAC)
    One World
    minority problems
    topics on environmental/ecological sustainability
    the gender issue

in Central Europe (at present Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany).

Members of social movements and the movements for the landless, women, Blacks and the indigenous people participate from Brazil and India. Training for solidarity competence deals with solidarity in the political domain, professionalism and personality, differences and conflicts, and of boundaries and culture.

Target groups are:

    returnees from Third World countries
    committed individuals in the area of solidarity work
    training groups such as university seminars and
    training  for pastors and deacons.