Behinderung und Entwicklungs­zusammen­arbeit e.V.

Returnees with Disability

The long-term objective of most of the international voluntary service programs is to create active citizens for social change, fostered by the returnees in their own countries.

By now, there are several generations of former volunteers with and without impairment/disability, who have been working in projects for disabled people or at Disabled Peoples Organizations. After their intensive experiences abroad, many of them unites their motivation and their will, to continue their social engagement in Germany or their home country (in case of South-North exchange) and to exchange their experiences.

Amongst other things, bezev is currently supporting a returnee-group of former weltwärts volunteers with impairment/disability for their empowerment and self-representation within the weltwärts program. 

People for Inclusion is a self-representative group of former volunteers with impairments and/or disabilities. The group was founded in September 2017 in order to exchange experiences about obstacles and the inclusiveness of their voluntary service. Other potential volunteers can benefit from their experiences and are getting encouraged to apply for an inclusive voluntary service. The People for Inclusion not only welcome new members to their regular meetings but are also available to answer questions about their experiences in inclusive voluntary services.

You can get in contact via: pfi@bezev.de

Following bezev returnee measures events have taken place in the past:

In November 2011 and 2014 a network meeting was organized for all the returnees.

bezev fostered the returnee exposition "...so how was it?!" ("German: "Und wie war´s?!"). This exposition is a result of the network meeting in 2011, with the idea of an exposition to answer the question “so, how was it (in my own voluntary service)?!”. A question every volunteer is
asked after their return. This exposition is planned and designed by returnees. It shows impressions of a voluntary service and the time after it on 12 boards.

In the last few years bezev has been a cooperation partner of the “and now?!”-Conference which is organized every year by and for returnees.

bezev cooperates with the project/organisation "world images" (Arbeitsstelle Weltbilder), that offers different qualification measures for returnees. For example "welt.bilder" or "globalista".

Two returnees, Ina and Lara organized an intercultural exchange between Ghana and North-Rhine-Westphalia. They invited their former colleagues from their work place in Ghana to Germany, with the support of weltwärts. In Germany they visited organizations for people with disability among others. Together we achieved the aim of talking about the differences and similarities in the treatment of people with disability in Germany and Ghana.   

If you are interested in participating in our returnee work kindly let us know: juergens@bezev.de