I With our hearts and our hands.

More information on the internet:www.awo.org

This has not only been the graphic symbol of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt since thedays when it was founded in the past century. Do such emotional and vividforms of expression still have a chance of surviving in this sober, technical andso hectic world? They do indeed!A lot of things must be decided in a factual, sober and consistent manner in alarge organisation with approx. 145,000 employees, but at the same time a lotof services, which are rendered by people for people, cannot succeed, ifpeople’s hearts are not in it. Help and support through social work also neces-sitates love and care.In just the same way as the support and nursing care of older people, life with,and the upbringing of children who have been entrusted to one in nurseryschools can only succeed if your heart and hands form a unit. A large commu-nity has emerged from a simple and good idea in the 20th century.

With our hearts and our hands.

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I A good idea in 20th century.

Poverty? Distress? Hunger? Homelessness? Concepts and life situations, whichwe do not enjoy thinking about in our modern society, we hardly perceive themor suppress them. Nevertheless this is also present in our near vicinity and ithas been a self evident precept of the AWO to advise and help people in diffi-cult life situations since the previous century. Commitment for social justice isour goal and our mandate.

Marie Juchacz. She is one of the most significant women in German history.She founded the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) and was its chairwoman from 1919until 1933. She was one of the women who successfully campaigned forwomen’s suffrage in Germany in the face of bitter resistance. She was one ofthe first women to be freely elected in a German parliament, was a member ofparliament in the Weimar national assembly and a member of the Reichstaguntil 1933.

Marie Juchacz – an outstanding personality.

The chip, mobile phone and ring tone generation feel it belongs to the past. Theterm “Welfare” (instead of the German word “Wohlfahrt”) that sounds better intheir ears but it is the same word when translated. In the early days of AWO, theterrible years of distress following the 1st World War in the 20th century, peopleunderstood something very different by the term “Welfare Association”. At thattime sewing rooms, lunch tables, workshops, social advisory centres were crea-ted. They should help to do away with elementary poverty. With practical self-help, with solidarity and with a lot of commitment. However, the AWO rejectedan alms policy along the lines of “if rich people donate a few crumbs then

everyone will have enough to eat”. Right from the start it demanded social legalclaims for the people. The idea of the AWO, which Maria Jachacz sparked off in1919, was convincing. As early as 1931 more than 135,000 voluntary assistantswere working in the fields of child convalescence, nursing care of elderly andassistance for young people, in emergency canteens, in workshops for the dis-abled and unemployed and also in sewing rooms. The AWO became a volun-teers’ organisation for people who are in social difficulties and in need of helpirrespective of their origins and religious denomination.

Welfare. People who do not need it feel it belongs to the past. But millions of people need it every day.

You can t do everything!You can t be responsible for everything!And you cannot achieve much without commitment!

Even a modern society, in which the majority of the people are well off, and a lotof people are very well off, requires social commitment. The state would quitesimply be overtaxed, if it wanted to do and organise all those things, which thewelfare organisations in the voluntary welfare field delete perform day in, dayout. Approximately 22 million people work in an honorary and voluntary capaci-ty. They thus render an economic performance amounting to approx. 55 billionfor the community. The social constitutional state, which the AWO has alwaysdemanded since its inception, has also become reality in its fundamental ele-

ments and this is particularly due to the commitment of its citizens. The AWOconstantly assumes responsibility for new social tasks, which result from thechanges within society. The war against drugs, integration work for and withimmigrants, consulting and assistance for indebted families, protection againstdomestic violence, to name just a few examples. The discussion about the boun-daries of “social growth” also does not make the tasks and the work of the AWOindispensable. On the contrary. Social rights require social duties. In our politi-cal work we campaign for the fair balancing of interests in a spirit of solidarity.

People do what they can. Men women, children, young people and senior citizens do it.

Just like in a big family we need each other. The AWO is a part of our society -with a lot of strengths, and sometimes also with a few weaknesses. With145,000 employees, more than 410,000 members, 100,000 helpers, friends andsupporters it is a mirror image of the demands, wishes and expectations thatmake up our democratic and pluralistic society. The AWO model would not bepossible in its present form without the financial commitment of citizens, ourmembers, companies and not least from the state and without the small and

large steps forwards in political and social terms. Therefore we can cooperateat the centre of the society for peace, freedom and progress..

We are society!

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I Children are our future.

We have often heard this saying. And it is correct nevertheless. The world wouldbe empty and boring without children. They need our entire attention. Childrenneed space to romp about and play. They need protection, love and understan-ding. And due to the fact that they, of course, do not remain children, they alsoneed to have their individual skills promoted in a targeted manner. We are happyto devote ourselves to this task: in our nursery schools, in the crèches and after

school care-centres. Ensuring children find their place in our society. Childrenhave a lot of stamina. And this is why parents also have a right to take a break.They can do this, for instance, in the AWO holiday centre for parents and chil-dren or in the recognised health resort institutions and recreational homes. Wedemonstrate our expertise in more than 3,500 institutions for children, youngpeople, parents and families.

Children are the future.

Schools cannot do everything and should also not bear responsibility for every-thing. This is why they need partners. But at any rate the schools should jointlypromote the dispositions and talents of children and young people. And notleast prepare adolescents to lead independent lives. However, due to the factthat parents and teachers sometimes view things differently than young people,we offer differentiated support, e.g. by means of school social work and consul-

tancy in our youth centres. Or we address the young people’s interests in ourholiday programmes. We are always there for them in approx. 2,800 youth aidinstitutions.

When the school needs partners.

Everything was different in the goodold days! But were things really betterback then?

Young people have always searched for new ways of life for their present andfuture lives. And adults have always been annoyed by the so-called youth oftoday. Once it was their music, then it was their fashion taste or their moralbehaviour or something else. But somehow it was always the same situation.Young people do not require answers to yesterday’s questions. Here and nowanswers are required to keywords such as drugs, violence, alcohol or rightwingextremism. Or such as vocational training, professional opportunities, but also

the “brutalisation” of a lot of city districts. They are questions about the future.We strengthen the public spirit because we promote a sense of communityamongst young people and with young people. We do this through holiday trips,international meetings of young people, educational events and through our in-house, but independent youth activities associations. Our vocational traininginstitutions and advisory offices help young people by providing advice in speci-al problem situations or difficult circumstances.

Promote a public spirit without pointing of fingers!

Education is the door opener for professional and life opportunities. Those whoinvest in education secure future opportunities for themselves. PISA, the inter-national survey, which award very poor marks to the German education system,constitutes a demand to change things and to act. The AWO is not a school,apprenticeship workshop or university. The AWO has other tasks. However, wecater for the interests and the curiosity of young people in diverse training, lei-sure time and cultural offers. Beginning with computer, photography and video

courses, seminars about the most diverse subjects and extending to internatio-nal meetings and study trips. We provide the most diverse offers for young,unemployed people. These include measures for socially disadvantaged youngpeople, who are supported during their in-service training in a socially pedago-gic manner in our in-house employment centres. And young people are also pre-pared for their lives “tomorrow” in the young people’s residential institutions.This is because there is nothing better than being independent.

In Pisa the tower is not straight and education is not all it should be in our country.

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A woman s place is in front of the oven! Girls really like knitting! But actually that is not true.

Of course equality of the sexes is laid down in the German Constitution But howdid it get there in the first place? Primarily due to women such as Marie Juchacz.She was one of the women who worked to achieve the right to stand for electi-ons and the right to vote at the start of the 20th century. Those who can vote,can have a say in political affairs. However, there are still hurdles that get in theway en route to equality. Poverty in Germany, for example, is mainly a femalething. This is due to the inequality of opportunity that still exists. The AWO alrea-dy supports equal participation in its child and youth work. The gainful employ-

ment of parents is supported with nursery schools and school care offers. Theissue of domestic violence against women and in families brings out a spirit ofrebellion in us. Our women’s refuges do not just offer a place to take refuse, butalso protection, advice and help. We demonstrate our expertise in the area ofequality in courses, seminars, specialist events and institutions.

Once upon a time ...

There are many reasons why the number of single mothers has constantlyincreased. A lot of these mothers need social support, because children andtheir work cannot always be reconciled with one another. Previously the exten-ded family was a type of network; nowadays the nuclear family largely has tofend for itself. In order to relieve the strain on mothers from their everyday extraburdens, health risks and above all their sole responsibility for their children, theAWO will offer them time to recover and to relax. Mother-child courses of treat-ment, which give both of them - mother and child - an important break.

Special measures are carried out for single parents and mothers with disabledchildren or relatives who are addicts or in need of nursing care. All the instituti-ons, which we offer to mothers with and without children in Germany have beenquality tested. Our argument for expertise and experience.

Well great. Mother´s day is once a year.

The family is not what it used to be.

The images of the family from yesterday and the present are completely different.Whilst previously there was a large family unit the present trend is movingtowards a nuclear family or single mothers and fathers. The reasons for this arevaried: Beginning with the changing role of women to the question of whether youcan and want to afford a family for financial reasons or due to the fact that theemployment market demands increased mobility and extending to transformed

notions of what partnership involves. A lot of people sometimes have the feelingthat their family is really too much for them. A lot of people can no longer cometo terms with a lot of things, need advice and help, as is, for instance, providedby the AWO family counselling. Their outpatient offers that support families pro-vide assistance to families in the event of crises and conflicts and in relation toa lot of everyday issues. We also offer advice and assistance to interested

I cannot cope with that!

parents via contemporary channels, e.g. via the Internet, as a modern serviceenterprise. The special AWO Internet portal vitawo.de offers everything that con-cerns family issues. Inspected by independent experts vitawo.de is one of thebest Internet sides in the German. Expertise that you can click on.www.vitawo.de

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The autumn also has its beautiful sides. This is a comforting thought. But let s be honest:All four seasons together are much more beautiful.

It is a truism that people are living to be older and older. People are living lon-ger. The older generation is gaining ground. It has more and other needs thantheir grandparents had. Older people want to live their lives independently asthey have done up to now. They are more active than ever before. The AWOoffers a lot of opportunities, measures and activities for older people at virtual-ly every location in Germany. This starts off with the day centres and clubs. Theyhave lots of contacts, discussions, exchanges of ideas and appointments here.In a lot of cases older people can also go on trips that are organised with and

by the AWO. There is no such thing as people who are old and lonely here. Whygive up the young person’s dream of one’s own four walls. The AWO helps olderpeople, who only want to give up their housing because it is not built in accor-dance with the needs of an elderly person, by means of living space counselling.Perhaps there is one wall too many, a step that is too high. The mobile servicesof the AWO are available to those who desire more service and support for theirliving needs, or he and she decide at some time in favour of “accommodationwhere they are cared for”.

You are always as old as you feel.

If daily purchases and things that need attending to cannot be dealt with inde-pendently then older people frequently require help on the spot. People need tobe cared for by other people. And? What can we do for you? The AWO helpselderly people to be independent in their own housing by means of housekee-ping and nursing care services. And who hasn’t heard of the mobile “meals onwheels” service? Or: Day care centres or short-term nursing care help to pre-vent or delay a hospital stay. Prejudices towards old people’s homes are like pre-judgements; this is because if a move into one of our centres for senior citizens

or service houses becomes unavoidable, then the promotion of individual quali-ty of life is to the fore. Surveys prove: Our residents feel at home and well caredfor, as our nursing care services and performances are independently inspectedbased on quality standards. We back expertise in the more than 2,200 outpa-tient and inpatient institutions for the older generation.

How are you? “Oh I am ok” is not enough for us.

Protection from persecution, the right to asylum, is a basic right in all democra-cies for refugees and victims of persecution. The integration of refugees and vic-tims of persecution forms the focus of the AWO’s work. By means of counsellingand practical help. We want to give people a new home wherever possible.Abuse? Of course, that is also in evidence but nobody likes to leave their ownhome that much. “The exploitation of legal options in the presence of the existing

statutory loopholes” is much more frequently a habit of people who do not them-selves experience any personal distress. We do not roundly condemn people. Weoffer immigrants support by means of language and training courses. We do notspeak about integration, we make it work. For more than 40 years.

Everyone has a right to protection.

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Have you already had to flee in the past?Have you already lost your home?

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Financial investors, stock market traders and speculators want to see profits.The profits increase in those places where jobs are destroyed because peoplework more cheaply elsewhere. Mankind is returning to its roots: as a hunter andcollector. Politics as a regulatory form of control of a civil social order with a spi-rit of solidarity is being confronted by its limitations. People, who have never suf-fered unemployment and have taken the first steps down the social ladder, willnot be able to imagine what that means. Unemployment makes people sick and

poor or vice-versa. People without work suffer from a loss of self-esteem, a fee-ling of hopelessness, social isolation and feelings of guilt. Unemployment makespeople poor, both in terms of their mental wellbeing and their prosperity. Weneed a lot of new ideas. We need courage, a willingness to take risks, trainingand responsibility. This is why we are playing in the “Team für Deutschland”(“Team for Germany”) with employment initiatives and aids, with advanced voca-tional training and courses. And we have also created jobs..

Unemployment is more than just a statistic.

It won’t happen again! More than three million households in Germany are deepin debt. Is it their own fault? Private indebtedness can be due to a lot of things.Illness, for example, unemployment or a divorce. Strokes of fate, which haveknocked the affected parties off course. Suddenly they no longer have enoughmoney for the instalments, for this and that. Everyone can get caught up in adebt trap. It is good thing that help is provided to find ways out of the debt trap.How do you get your finances that have got into a mess back in order? How do

you negotiate with banks or other creditors? Can it help for people to privatelyfile for insolvency? There are the AWO’s debt counselling offices for these que-stions and, of course, to provide solutions. Expertise in helping people to makea new start.

Sorry!

People, who don t work, are not worthanything! People who are not worth anythingfeel the same way!

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Health is always on top of the list with the best wishes. Indispositions pass by,severe diseases require professional help. We expect the convalescence of allthe patients in our acute care hospitals, we put after care to the fore in ourhealth resorts, recovery and rehabilitation centres. We are there for the patientsand for their relatives. We support and mentor self-help groups. We look after

people with HIV, amongst other things in housing groups where the patients areprovided nursing care.

Get well soon. And stay healthy.

Addiction finds expression in a lot of different ways. Desire is the most pleasantaddiction. Being addicted to television and uncontrolled surfing on the Internetcan already make people ill. Alcohol, nicotine, medicines and drugs are intoxi-cants, which can ruin people in terms of both their health and socially. Addictionis an illness, it can therefore be treated and healed by means of therapies. The

AWO’s counselling centres, specialist clinic and rehabilitation units, residentialgroups and self-help initiatives helps people affected by addictions to be able tolive again without addictive substances.

Addiciton is not the same as passion.

Cancer is a desease.And so is the flu.And what is addiction?

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We say it’s all written in the stars. And thus you are born as a Leo, Virgo,Sagittarius or Pisces. And, of course, as a boy or a girl. However, you can alsobe born as a person with physical and mental impairments. It is normal to be dif-ferent. People, who are restricted in terms of their physical and mental abilitiesor are just a bit different, require our acceptance and our support so they areable to live their lives independently and autonomously to a large extent. We

support this notion on a daily basis in forms of accommodation, day centreswhere care is provided, in workshop and training centres or with mobile ser-vices. More than 13,000 employees in more than 400 institutions and servicecentres provide proof of their commitment on a daily basis.

Nobody knows how they were brought into the world!

People who sit in a wheelchair, do not sit there on a voluntary basis. Disabilitiesdo not render people helpless! Early recognition and early stimulation are impor-tant to give them a chance to be independent. The AWO offers a network ofinpatient services, services where patients are treated in day clinics, outpatientand mobile services, which support people with disabilities medically, pedago-gically and in terms of their professional lives.

Making life easier!

The never ending story. What is normal on this planet.

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I Knowledge makes you proficient.

Modern social work requires proficiency and detailed professional knowledge.Our employees do not just have to be well educated and trained. They must con-stantly be aware of the latest findings, and know the changed legislation, guide-lines and ordinance and gain qualifications for new tasks. We have a broadrange of offers in our in-house training facilities and we also base this on thepractical experience of the participants. The AWO-Akademie Helene Simonorganises large-scale conferences and congresses and has established itself inthe field of management training courses..

The worst thing that can happen to companies and enterprises that manufac-ture goods and products, is the prospect of recall actions. If the quality is notup to scratch the customers are upset and the company’s image takes a knock.Our services are not a product, which you can recall. They are people, for whomwe render services. And therefore the quality of our activities must be up toscratch right from the start and all the time. Therefore social work can no lon-ger be carried out without a quality management (QM) system. In terms of ourmission statement we are committed to offering high quality social services.Therefore, we have developed a QM concept, which takes account of the spe-

Our employees are more than just up to date. People who say “A”, must also be able to demand “Q” –quality in the case of all the services offered is our goal.

cial features of social service enterprises and adopts verifiable quality criteria.Rendering the optimum quality levels and strengthening consumer rights, whet-her they be children in nursery schools or people in need of care in our oldpeople’s homes: The AWO wants to achieve these things. The quality develop-ment is systematically organised for all the services by means of the applicati-on of international standards and the quality is certified by means of indepen-dent authorities such as TÜV (Technical Control Association). Quality assuranceis a question of expertise..

Voluntary commitment, gaining experiences with people, that is not an everydayoccurrence. And despite this a lot of young people now embark on so-called“Voluntary Social Years” in the AWO’s institutions and services. In this wayyoung people thus learn about the range of social work. The young people whocarry out community service as an alternative to military – in German they arecalled “Zivis” - are an important pillar of support for a lot of social services. Andeven if military service and civil service should be done away with: We are nowalready coming to terms with this situation with interns, volunteers and peopleworking in an honorary capacity, and also by means of the so-called minor jobswith low social security contributions. We are already structuring the future.

Gaining experience – in a very different way for achange.

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“All inclusive” development cooperation policy. Yes, if only it was that simple.There are a lot of ways of combating poverty and hunger and carrying out recon-struction work. Development and cooperation constitute an indispensablehumanitarian contribution towards a relationship of solidarity with disadvanta-ged people. The AWO has also made its special contribution to this internatio-nal solidarity for decades through its project work. Our projects promote theprinciple of helping people to help themselves. Very often, the people on thespot do have the willpower and the idealism to do something themselves. Whatis lacking is the necessary training, technical transfers and money. The AWO

does not operate an organisational system with foreign experts, but instead pre-dominantly collaborates with self-help groups and non-government independentpartners. The AWO has organised its international tasks in the “AWO Inter-national” professional association and network. In the event of humanitariandisasters too the AWO opts for a policy of cooperation and partnership. It is oneof the founding members of the “Aktion Deutschland Hilft” a federation ofGerman aid organizations.www.awointernational.dewww.aktion-deutschland-hilft.de

We have one guiding principle: Selfhelp and partnership.

Europe has become bigger. More and more states are merging together. It isnow no longer just an economic community and monetary union by any means,it concerns Europe as a whole. It is also about a social Europe. People deman-ding a social Europe need cooperation with other organisations. The AWO isworking with a lot of partners in social, educational, cross-generation and cultu-ral areas at a European level. And you need to have some influence over theEuropean institutions. The AWO is represented in Brussels by Solidar. Solidar isa European network with more than 30 partner organisations from 18 countries.The AWO played a big part in the foundation of Solidar. Solidar represents the

interests of providers of social services at a European level, initiates and sup-ports joint global development projects. You can find out more about the jointgoals and tasks on the Internet. International meetings of young people are alsonot forgotten during our European activities. We have been organising youthexchanges with France and Poland and the Czech Republic, the younger EUmember states for a number of years.

www.solidar.org

Europe! For a social union.

We sometimes also travel to foreigncountries. So we can do somethingfor the people with the people.

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Prejudices have long lives. One of these is: The state and its taxpayers financewelfare. And the auditing of the funding is not very strict. This borders on com-plete nonsense. There is hardly any other economic sector in the FederalRepublic of Germany, which is scrutinised as closely as the field of charitableprivate welfare work. Everything that AWO does with external funding is trans-parent and is strictly audited by a lot of offices and authorities. The local autho-rities, the authorities of the federal states (Länder) and the federal governmentdoes this amongst others. As do the Audit Offices of the federal government andthe Länder, the State Foundations Regulatory Authorities and independent audi-tors. Public grants and subsidies or independent funding from foundations and

lotteries require comprehensive application procedures, which are audited andcontrolled in detail. Compensation for services rendered and reimbursement ofcosts, such as nursery school contributions or accommodation and treatmentcharges are negotiated with authorities and insurance companies and settled upwith them. Public money and donation collections are subject to strict laws. TheDZI German Central Institute for Social Issues in Berlin, the so-called MOT fordonations, certifies whether charitable organisations that collect donations canbe recommended. We are one of the organisations that has been certified. Morecontrol is not possible!.

Control is a good thing.

If no-one helps then welfare will help! This is a nice simplistic way of putting it.But where does the financial funding for social support and services come from?From a lot of different sources. The members of the AWO pay fees. On a month-ly basis. They form our financial base. Money donations, donations in kind andsponsorship funding flow into projects; house and street collection as well asthe sale of Welfare and Christmas stamps support social work on the spot. Inaddition there are gifts and administration fines, grants from foundations or lot-teries as well as from the public authorities for measures that are in the public’sinterest. However, the remuneration for services, i.e. provision for the sick and

of nursing care makes up for the majority of the business turnover. The nurseryschool contributions of the parents are nothing other than payments for socialservices. However, the voluntary services of our helpers do not appear in anybalance sheets. If we did not have their commitment that saves a lot of “centsand euros” then the communal cashier’s office or the public authorities wouldhave to donate even more funding. The volunteers’ work ultimately relieves theburden on the community of citizens, and the tax payer.

And where do we get the Euros from?

Money does not make you happy. Or does it? At the end of the day youcannot evade the issue to end all issues.

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Social security concerns everyone and is therefore something that everyoneshould be interested in. Everyone can make a contribution towards this basedon their skills and abilities. Also based on your personal inclinations. Freedom,justice, tolerance and solidarity are our basic values, which make our lives insociety worth living. You are welcome if you want to commit yourselves andcooperate!

You can obtain more information at

www.awo.orgwww.vitawo.dewww.activo.dewww.awointernational.de

Last but not least.

The AWO is an independent federation but we have a lot of partners with whomwe cooperate effectively and in a spirit of trust. This is because good interestsjoin people together. We are a member of, or cooperate with, the following orga-nisations amongst others:Aktion Deutschland HilftAktion MenschStiftung Deutsche BehindertenhilfeArbeitsgemeinschaft der Verbraucherverbände

ARD-FernsehlotterieBundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien WohlfahrtspflegeDeutsche WelthungerhilfeDeutsches HilfswerkFernsehlotterie GlücksspiraleKuratorium Deutsche AltershilfeMüttergenesungswerkNationale Armutskonferenz in DeutschlandSolidar

... we do everything that is to be done jointly with other strong partners.

So that is the AWO!A strong community in the society.

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Publisher: AWO Bundesverband e.V.Blücherstraße 62/63, 10961 BerlinBonn office:Postfach 410163, 53023 BonnOppelner Straße 130, 53119 BonnTel: 02 28/6 68 50, Fax: 02 28/6 68 52 09E-mail: info@awobu.awo.orgE-mail: verlag@awobu.awo.orgInternet: www.awo.orgPerson responsible: Rainer Brückers, Secretary GeneralEditorial department: Joachim F. KendelbacherConcept/design:TOST PUBLIC RELATIONS GMBH, DüsseldorfPhotographs: adh/stefan trappe (page 26/27)Image Source (page 4/5, 6/7, 8/9, 10/11, 16/17, 28/29)image 100 (Title page motif, page 12/13, 20/21) Stockbyte (Page 22/23)zefa (Page 2/3, 14/15, 18/19, 24/25, 30/31)

© AWO Bundesverband e.V., Bonn/Berlin July 2005Publications, even in extracts, are only permissible with the express consent ofthe publisher.All rights reserved.

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