Twenty young Germans off to New Zealand for their civilian service!

Ambassador Rider and the group from ADiA

This week the new Ambassador in Berlin, HE Peter Rider, had the pleasure of welcoming a group of twenty young men from all over Germany who will be doing their civilian service in New Zealand.

The exchange is arranged through ADiA (Anderer Dienst im Ausland) programme. ADiA, also called “the other service abroad”, provides assistance to young Germans who wish to carry out their civilian service in a foreign country as an alternative to their compulsory service in Germany.

These brave young men usually perform their service in boarding schools or similar institutions, working with children. All of them finance themselves in different ways. Some have the support of their parents or scholarships, while others seek sponsors from local firms.

All of them will be leaving for New Zealand within the next three weeks and will remain in New Zealand for 11 months. 

We wish them all a great experience!