The Bundesfreiwilligendienst (BFD) offers a great alternative to Freiwillige Soziale Jahr (FSJ) or Freiwillige Ökologische Jahr (FÖJ). You can find out the difference here: FSJ vs BFD or here: FSJ,FÖJ, BFD, EFD what is the difference?
There is also the Entwicklungspolitische Freiwilligendienst (EFD) which is similar to the BFD and is offered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) but is only open to German citizens and foreigners with a permanent residence in Germany.
The visa application process in Kenya is the same for all of these, read: Applying for FSJ/FÖJ in Kenya. Most institutions that offer FSJ also offer BFD (check the list here), so you can always call and ask or check their website.
Contents
Categories
The BFD is divided into several categories namely:
- research
- Children and young persons
- Culture and Education
- Religious organisations
- Other organizations
- social Services
- sports
- Environmental conservation
- Association management
- Administration of the churches or associations
- Civil protection and disaster relief
Where to find positions
The Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben (BAFZA), is in charge of the whole program. They also list ALL positions offered in Germany on their online portal:
- Der Bundesfreiwilligendienst Einsatzstellensuche. Other websites that also list the positions are:
- Zivil.de
- DeinJahr.org
- BFD-FSJ Stellen.de
- Bundesfreiwilligendienst.de
Most institutions that offer FSJ also offer BFD (check the list here), so you can always call and ask or check their website.
