Fidesco International

FIDESCO is an international Catholic development organization, which was founded in 1981 after a meeting with African bishops at the Vatican of the Catholic community Emmanuel.

The name comes from the Latin fides (faith) and "Co" as an abbreviation for " cooperatio " ( Working Together ) together. The self- stated mission of Fidesco is to fight poverty and hopelessness and to give those in need the chance to develop in body, mind and spirit. The religion or ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the people should play a subordinate role. Fidesco sends volunteers around the world who volunteer their skills at the service of the poor and provide social and / or humanitarian assistance in development projects.

Formation and development

1980, following the family synod at the Vatican, asked a group of West African bishops that laymen are sent as volunteers to Africa. They were there to participate in development projects and put through their service a hope drawing. In the same year, this request was granted and sent to a family in what was then Zaire ( now the Democratic Republic of the Congo ) on a medical mission. 1981 FIDESCO was founded by the Emmanuel Community, following a meeting with African bishops at the Vatican. Since its founding over 30 years ago, has more than 1,000 volunteers have helped by " FIDESCO " in projects in more than 40 countries around the world. The special feature here is that the volunteers get involved with their professional skills for one or two years in projects that are either under the direction of FIDESCO themselves or by the local partners. It is primarily to help themselves. In 1999 FIDESCO counted 90 active volunteers. Two groups of volunteers sent - - Since 2007, every year - each in the spring and summer of 2010 in 21 different countries. In 2013, about 160 FIDESCO - volunteers work in all parts of the world.

Organizational structure

FIDESCO is made up of volunteer and full-time active employees:

  • In the FIDESCO headquarters in Paris, a team of ten employees takes care of all international activities. The task field ranges from identifying and training volunteers to raise funds. An important task of the team is to monitor the political situation in the developing countries.
  • The national committees and their staff are responsible for the search of volunteers and funding of missions.
  • The International Council is responsible for the national committees. The basis is the summary of the ethical principles of FIDESCO, the so-called FIDESCO Code of Ethics. The Council members include the FIDESCO managers for Asia, America and Africa.
  • The country correspondents manage all volunteers who are active in a particular region or country. They know each comprising of the installation spot and in the projects. The correspondents are in close contact with the project managers and the volunteers. At least once a year, they get an idea about the status of projects and visit their volunteers.
  • Project managers report on the projects where FIDESCO itself is responsible for the management.

Professionals of different institutions will support FIDESCO before in the training of volunteers as part of the meeting and after the missions.

The organization operates, inter alia, with embassies, government agencies, local partners and other non-governmental organizations, and is funded by donations.

Offices

Currently, there are in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Australia, Poland, Portugal, the USA and the UK offices.

Cooperation
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