For over 50 years, AGEH has been a reliable partner for development workers and a key source of specialist personnel for many church and other civil society organisations active in the field of international development cooperation work. As a state-recognised personnel service provider, we supply qualified Christian-oriented experts from Germany and other EU countries for projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America or Central or Eastern Europe.

Since being founded by Catholic associations and organisations in 1959, AGEH has supplied over 6,000 experts for development projects.

This gives an indication of the vast experience that we have accumulated in the field of development cooperation personnel – and of the extensive expertise from which organisations and development workers benefit in equal measure. For instance, they provide ongoing support to organisations during the entire personnel recruitment process: from the initial job descriptions and the selection of applicants to the finalisation of contracts and social security arrangements for the development workers and their families. They are also at hand to provide constant assistance to our development workers before, during and after their assignments and offer an extensive range of personnel development courses. Every year, up to 280 AGEH development workers are deployed in 60 countries around the world.

Their project promoters and clients include organisations such as Misereor and Caritas international, religious orders, dioceses and many other church and non-church NGOs.

 

THEIR WORK

AGEH sees itself as an interface between development agencies looking for expert personnel for development work projects and qualified experts who wish to put their extensive expertise and their social and intercultural skills to good use. They bring together people who share the belief that everyone in the world is entitled to humane living conditions.

Accordingly, it is our aim to alleviate human suffering through intercultural cooperation and by promoting a form of personnel development cooperation that centres on people and their individual needs. As a recognised personnel service provider in the field of development work, we meet this important responsibility by providing expert support, advice and ongoing assistance to organisations and development workers alike. Together, we create the best possible conditions for effective on-location project work.

 

Supplying qualified experts

Development cooperation organisations rely on our expert assistance to find the right personnel for their long-term projects, short-term measures or ad-hoc assignments in the field of development cooperation. They provide ongoing advice and support throughout the entire recruitment process: from defining requirements and overseeing selection procedures to arranging social security for development workers during their assignments abroad. Organisations also benefit from our specialist expertise in generating third-party funds and administering funds in a trustee capacity.

 

Support, training and ongoing assistance

People who decide to work in the field of development cooperation and have the necessary skills and know-how receive expert advice and assistance from us – from the application and development stage to the overseas deployment, return and reintegration. Together with our partners, we offer an extensive range of training and professional development courses at all levels, which constitute a key component of our services for AGEH development workers.