The Austrian Service Abroad is a non-profit association founded by Andreas Maislinger, Michael Prochazka and Andreas Hörtnagl. The program is rooted in the acknowledgment of Austria’s responsibility for the crimes committed by National Socialism. Its services aim at the permanence of life on earth. It provides Austrians the opportunity to work in partner institutions worldwide serving Holocaust commemoration in form of the Gedenkdienst, supporting vulnerable social groups in form of the Austrian Social Service and realizing projects of peace as part of the Austrian Peace Service. The program is funded by the Austrian government.
0 Alumni
Since our founding in 1998, 724 people have served as an Austrian Servant Abroad in numerous countries around the world.
0 Locations
Through our organization, one can serve as an Austrian Service Abroad in 143 locations worldwide.
0 Countries
In total, we can send our Austrian Servants Abroad to 60 different countries.
0 Austrian Servants Abroad
129 Austrian Servants Abroad are serving abroad in the cohort of 2022.
0 New Locations
New connections to 19 locations were established since 2021.

The Austrian Service Abroad is headquartered in Innsbruck and has an office in Vienna. It provides Austrians of all genders with a platform for being sent abroad for a time-period of 6 to 12 months within the legal framework of voluntary work. In addition, young male Austrians may accredit their service abroad as an alternative to the compulsory military service provided their service lasts for a time-period of at least 10 months.

In addition, it provides an educational platform in the fields of memoria (remembrance), misericordia (mercy) and pax (peace). The Austrian Service Abroad volunteers are sent to work in its many partner institutions, while being financially supported by the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs for their work abroad.

Examples of partner institutions / organizations are the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oswiecim (Poland), Yad Vashem in Jerusalem (Israel), the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles (U.S.A.), the Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai in Shanghai (China), the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center in Moscow (Russia), the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne (Australia), the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest (Hungary), the Ashraya Initiative for Children in Pune (India) and A chance for children in Zigoti (Uganda).

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen visiting two Gedenkdiener at Yad Vashem, Israel.
Austrian president of the national council Wolfgang Sobotka congratulates on 30 years of Gedenkdienst.
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Each cohort starts their service on September 1st of each year, although there can be some exceptions. Applications for the cohorts 2025 and later are already possible.

The official application time for the cohort of 2024 has ended on December 31st, 2023.

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