Interchange Programms

siebenwerte is a sustainability consultancy that aims to connect companies and NGOs. The framework is the SDGs. siebenwerte's service is the conception of projects and the initiation of collaborations with sustainable impact between partners from different sectors.

The north church promotes, the church overseas development service, projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In this way making a contribution to more global justice is shown. At the same time the church wants to promote a critical understanding for the global, economic, social, political and ecological influences that shape our lives. The educational offer of the church overseas development service has the aim to understand the interconnection among our own life and of people all over the world. Together with others the church wants to create a worldwide social change through the communication of abilities, settings and values. We want to connect people and promote their engagement supporting a fairer and more sustainable world. Our aid programs are available for church and non-church groups and initiatives in Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein. Every two years the north church announces the "one world price". This price honors initiatives, groups, church municipalities or individuals for their engagement. The theological bases, definitions, structures and quality criterions of the educational work are summarized in the concept for the development educational work of the north church.

Lower Saxony is committed to a range of activities in Sub-Saharan Africa and thus assumes responsibility for sustainable global development. The aim is to learn as much as possible from and with one another in the context of a global partnership and responsibility with
cosmopolitanism and cross-cultural competence.

Lower Saxony focuses on three priority areas of development cooperation:

1. Partnership with the Eastern Cape (South Africa) since 1995
2. Project cooperation with Tanzania since 2010
3. Development educational and information work

As part of the development policy information and educational work within Lower Saxony, the State Chancellery promotes the Association Development Policy Lower Saxony (Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen e.V. - VEN). The VEN is the network of development
NGOs, initiatives and so-called One-World-Shops (Weltläden). The main focus of the VEN is the development educational and information work. The funds are directed to the implementation of „IBQ - projects“ (information, education and skills) of NGOs in Lower Saxony in the field of development cooperation.

Since 2014 Lower Saxony has been co-financing the nationwide Promoter-Program (Promotorenprogramm). The aim is to raise awareness on development issues in Lower Saxony. The continuation of the program up to 2018 has been decided upon in 2015 and the financial means are guaranteed.

As part of a special program for humanitarian aid, Lower Saxony has decided to take in 70 traumatized women and children from northern Iraq in 2015. They are victims of extreme violence by fighters of the terrorist organization Islamic State, whom Lower Saxony is going to ensure a safe stay over the next two years. The regional government has decided to allocate 1.1 million euros in 2015 and 6.8 million euros for the following years for the reception, accommodation and health care of these women and children.

2016 is planned to focus on the implementation and consolidation of the new Development Policy Guidelines and their linking with the Strategy for Sustainability of Lower Saxony, which is currently under revision. The intensified cooperation with development policy actors within the civil society - a positive effect of the process of drafting the guidelines - will be continued by, for example, giving these organizations an active part in developing the implementation strategy.

Furthermore, Lower Saxony participates in the newly established Bund-Länder-Program. With the involvement of GIZ’s office in Lower Saxony (Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit) project opportunities are currently being examined and planned to be approved
by the end of January 2016.

Since 2012, InterCultur has been offering seminars, trainings and events for organisations, companies, educational institutions and individuals who have a need and interest in developing their understanding of other cultures and improving the way they deal with cultural differences. The basis of our intercultural work and our seminar units is experiential learning. As a subsidiary of AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V., InterCultur is part of one of the oldest and largest organisations for intercultural exchange in the world. Over 70 years of experience in the implementation of exchange programmes are the basis of our competence in the pedagogical accompaniment of intercultural experiences and situations as well as intercultural qualification. InterCultur runs educational events and trainings, for young people and for adults, with the aim of acquiring and/or expanding the participants' intercultural competence. InterCultur creates social impact through intercultural learning through seminars and encounter approaches. InterCultur offers intercultural training and counselling for people who cannot be reached through AFS programmes. InterCultur is an accredited organiser of intercultural training and educational programmes by the quality assessment of Weiterbildung Hamburg e.V. and the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia. Our Intercultural Trainer Academy training is recognised throughout Germany for educational leave. InterCultur facilitates lively, authentic trainings with interactive methods by experienced trainers who provide learning and refexion opportunities for the target groups.
Since 2012, InterCultur has been offering seminars, trainings and events for organisations, companies, educational institutions and individuals who have a need and interest in further developing their understanding of other cultures and improving the way they deal with cultural differences. The basis of our intercultural work and our seminar units is experiential learning. As a subsidiary of AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V., InterCultur is part of one of the oldest and largest organisations for intercultural exchange in the world. Over 70 years of experience in the implementation of exchange programmes are the basis of our competence in the pedagogical accompaniment of intercultural experiences and situations as well as intercultural qualification. InterCultur runs educational events and trainings, for young people and for adults, with the aim of acquiring and/or expanding the participants' intercultural competence. InterCultur creates social impact through intercultural learning through seminars and encounter approaches. InterCultur offers intercultural training and counselling for people who cannot be reached through AFS programmes. InterCultur is an accredited organiser of intercultural training and educational programmes by the quality assessment of Weiterbildung Hamburg e.V. and the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia. Our Intercultural Trainer Academy training is recognised throughout Germany for educational leave. InterCultur facilitates lively, authentic trainings with interactive methods by experienced trainers who provide learning and refexion opportunities for the target groups.

The association "Schulwälder für Westafrika e. V." (School Forests for West Africa) - together with the "Youth and Environment Club" in Ghana - works for the preservation of the rainforest and for a climate-friendly and healthy environment. In order to inspire pupils in Germany and Ghana for nature and its protection, the association arranges partner schools between the two countries. In this way, pupils and teachers from Germany and Ghana can work together for the forest/rainforest. Practical action promotes sustainability education and a sense of responsibility for people in other countries. In addition, pupils learn to dedicate themselves to a project in the long term. While pupils in Ghana plant and maintain trees for shady places in their schoolyards with the motto "solar lamps/ football as an incentive for tree planting", pupils in Germany start tree planting in different places. In connection with global learning, the pupils can exchange information about the living conditions in the respective other country, e.g. these topics: Climate protection (tree planting/forestation of the forest or rainforest/tree nursery), biodiversity (animals and plants), energy (solar lamps with the possibility of charging the mobile phone), health and poverty (solar lamps instead of paraffin lamps), education (computer centre in Nyakrom, environmental education materials for primary schools), climate (including seasons), consumption of resources (trees as firewood), conservation of resources (chains made of recycled paper), consumption (clothing, food and housing), children's rights.