Nothelfergemeinschaft der Freunde e.V. (NdF)

Internationale Freiwilligenorganisation

About us

The Friends' Emergency Aid Association (NdF) was founded after World War II for reconstruction and reconciliation.

The aim of the NdF is a lasting, peaceful cohabitation of all peoples by overcoming prejudice and polarity and by achieving social justice. For this reason, our emergency aid workers work towards international understanding and reconciliation.
As well as deploying Peace Corps workers in Israel, the NdF sends volunteers to people in need throughout the world. The interests of both the volunteers and the recipients of aid are taken into consideration when deciding on projects.
With our Peace Corps work we try to take a political stand for reconciliation. Thus we have been working in Israel for over 50 years, where today many volunteers work in Jewish and Arab facilities for the handicapped and elderly.

The NdF briefs its volunteers before their deployment. They are taught about culture differences, and can therefore contribute to international understanding. When they are on the spot, they get an impression of the problems involved in development work. They come to recognise their own limits and learn to surmount them.

Our organisation is neither politically nor ideologically aligned. We see it as a great opportunity and a huge step in social education, for young people from different countries to live and work together. The NdF is dedicated to non-violence.

Projects:
These mainly social and ecological. There is a wide range of social projects, from working in orphanages and kindergartens or caring for the handicapped to working in Old People's Homes. The ecological projects include, for example, rehabilitating and releasing animals into the wild or ecological coffee cultivation. Our present projects are carried out in 15 countries, worldwide.

Activities:
• we are flexible and can also place volunteers at short notice
• we give individual advice; our many years of experience enable us to find a suitable project in the right country for each candidate.
• we arrange contacts with former volunteers, who can also take over the briefing.
• we place volunteers of any age, race and religion.
• we work unpaid and each successful placement in a foreign posting gives us great pleasure.

It does not matter to us which religion, political opinion, ideology, nationality or ethnicity a volunteer has. We stand for international understanding and reconciliation. .

Bernhard Klinkhammer is the President of the Freinds' Emergency Aid Association (NdF)

On request we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, and provide up-to-date information and contacts in the field of our work.