International projects

As one of more than 40 national committees of the World University Service, the German Committee of the WUS supports the work of the International WUS. This is done by participating in the five main programmes of the WUS:

  • Educational support for people living in exile and returnees
  • Human rights work
  • Women’s advancement
  • Rural development and
  • Academic cooperation.

The German Committee of WUS also supports the International Committee by consulting with other WUS committees and by implementing joint projects.

Albania – Scholarships for labour market entries of Albanian students

The German Land of Hesse and World University Service (WUS) provide scholarships for young Albanians who intend to finalise their studies in Albania, who intend to start their careers and need support during an internship and for those who seriously work on their buisness start-up. The aim is to strengthen the educational elite in Albania and to promote the training of future specialists. By doing so, young Albanians can develop future occupational prospects in Albania. More information please read here.

Ethiopia - Vocational Teachers and Lecturers

At the request of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education, WUS has been helping to find experienced vocational teachers for both teaching and workshop experiences for 13 Ethiopian universities which are currently being established and the newly founded national training facility for welders. In total, 40 vocational teachers are to be employed through the WUS.

Chile – Women’s School ‘Female Citizens of the 21st Century’

The WUS supports the work of the women’s school ‘Female Citizens of the 21st Century’ in Santiago. The school trains women from poorer parts of the city in the areas of career starts, trainings, and setting up small businesses to make a living.  For example, in 2015 about 250 participants were taught in 10 classes in the areas of setting up small businesses to make a living and job application training.

Eritrea: Qualification Programmes

The cooperation between WUS and Eritrea is long-lasting. The main focus of the cooperation is humanitarian aid. The support for the Management and Cultural Center of the Eritro-German Association, which was founded by Eritrean and German skilled workers in Asmara in 1994, was continued. The centre’s aim is to support Eritrean-German relations and to represent the interests of Eritrean skilled workers who have returned from Germany. The economic and cultural centre contains offices and seminar rooms, a library, an auditorium, a kindergarten and a cafeteria. The city of Asmara has given the property to the association rent-free for 50 years and the construction costs were financed by the World University Service from funds of the German Länder Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hessen and Bremen. Over the past few years, it was also possible to award sur-place scholarships to students of the St. George School in Mendefera due to financial support of the Gymnasium Neckartenzlingen (secondary school of Neckartenzlingen) in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Iraq

To alleviate the plight of Palestinian refugees in Baghdad, WUS could provide a total of 200 stoves and a generator is now available thanks to a financial support of the Foreign Office in 2003. This donation was meant for the approximately 1,000 refugees in "Haifa-camp" in Baghdad  to rescue them from freezing in the very cold winter nights. The German library of the Baghdad University was re-equipped in a joint cooperation of WUS with the Foreign Office, the Goethe Institute, Association of German Book Trade, Frankfurt Book Fair, German Academy for Language and Literature, Bavarian State Library, German Research Foundation and the German Archaeological Institute with a donation of 10,000 books to the value of about 320,000 euros. The support was prepared by and organized by WUS during a visit of a delegation with the Group Chairman of the SPD in the Hessian Parliament, Jürgen Walter, and the former Hessian Minister of Economics, Lothar Klemm, in Baghdad.

  • Promotion of Palestinian refugees in Baghdad
  • Promotion of the German department of the University of Baghdad

Malaysia

In context of the Malaysian Government's program to promote the technical and commercial offspring, WUS arranged in July 2004, an agreement between the State of Hesse and Malaysia to sponsor 10 technical college scholarship holders from Malaysia at Hesse Universities. WUS was organizing and taking care of these scholarship holders.

  • Organizing scholarships of Malay vocational students

Mali

WUS carried out a sur-place scholarship program for students in Mali for several years with funds from the Hessian Ministry for Science and Art.

  • scholarship program in Mali

Palestine: Education Projects as Part of the Peace Process

The efforts of WUS have been very intense in the autonomous Palestinian regions. In the last 30 years, the focus of WUS activities has been to promote education. The main emphasis of the cooperation with WUS Palestine is the promotion of sur-place scholarships and the support of Palestinian students. Beyond that, WUS keeps in regular contact with specialists who were trained in Germany.

Russia

WUS provides scholarships for students of journalism who have German language skills at the "Free Russian-German Institute of Journalism" (FRDIP), at the Moscow State University and the "Independent Russian-German Institute of Journalism" (URDIJ) of Southern Federal University Rostov-on-Don. The aim is, to offer additional training to Russian journalism students to increase their understanding of modern and European journalism.

  • scholarship program

Vietnam – Foundation of the Vietnamese-German University in Vietnam

The German Land of Hessen and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam founded the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Vietnam. A corresponding declaration of intent was signed by the Hessen State Minister of Higher Education, Research and the Arts Udo Corts and the Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Prof Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan on 21 May 2007. During the signing of the declaration of intent, the former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Horst Köhler and the Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet were present.