15,000 missions by the Federal Agency for Technical Relief each year.
Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief, THW for short, is responsible for civil protection and disaster assistance. Whatever the situation – storms, flooding, a power failure or earthquake – the THW swiftly provides help in Germany and around the world.
Disaster relief from Germany – around the world.
World-wide operations of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief in 139 countries.
The THW is Germany’s humanitarian ambassador. That’s why it is sent on global missions to help people in need. Units with special training to act swiftly are dispatched to carry out rescue and water supply operations and to coordinate assistance measures around the world. They master that task so well that a mission in France earned them the nickname “Blue Angels”.
THW
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Stories
Fabienne, 21, Federal Agency for Technical Relief volunteer
Interview with Fabienne on her reasons for helping.
I’m always ready to go, because disasters don’t keep office hours.
You don’t know how long it’s going to take. When will I get back home? Will I get home at all today?
Normal situations: shopping, exercising, going for a walk at the weekend. Then it starts to rain, fields begin to flood and Fabienne knows she might be called out again today. She’s on standby, talks to friends and acquaintances who are also involved, and waits for a call. Then she’s off. On assignment, everyone’s completely focused on the present moment and nobody sends as much as a text message to reassure those at home. And even when the THW volunteers are back in their beds, they have just one question: “Is there more I can do?”
The urge to travel. And to be on hand when help is needed.
For me, helping people doesn’t stop at national borders.
If you say you want to go abroad, you can do it with the THW.
Fabienne would love to be able to get around super-fast. Simply to be able to help wherever she’s needed. But she’s never been abroad. Partly because her work with the THW youth organisation keeps her very busy and takes her to all corners of Germany, especially during the pandemic. But there’s always the possibility of going abroad. If volunteers would like to go on an assignment outside Germany, the THW supports them.
