Who We Are
The Grünhelme are an independent, non-profit organization committed to the construction and reconstruction of schools, health centers, and other social infrastructure in crisis and disaster areas around the world.
The organization was founded in 2003 by Rupert Neudeck. The background was the Iraq War and the growing hostility toward Muslims after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The idea was to create human connections across religious, cultural, and national boundaries — through concrete construction and reconstruction projects that make a tangible difference for people on the ground and support those who are particularly disadvantaged in the Global South.
Since Rupert Neudeck’s death in 2016, the work of the Grünhelme has been carried forward by a core group of active members who are largely volunteers.
The Grünhelme are accompanied by a broad advisory board that includes, among others, Wolfgang Thierse, Navid Kermani, Ruprecht Polenz and Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger.
What We Stand For
At the heart of our work are practical assistance, collaboration on equal footing, and respectful engagement with the people on site.
We work closely with local partners and rely on direct, hands-on implementation: planning together, building together, strengthening structures together. Our teams consist of people with craft or technical experience who are willing to apply their skills where they are needed.
Where Does the Name Come From?
The name refers to the idea of international volunteer service: people who contribute their knowledge and labor in solidarity to rebuild destroyed or missing infrastructure together with local communities. The Grünhelme stand for pragmatic assistance, teamwork, and the conviction that joint action achieves more than declarations of intent.
How Are We Funded?
The Grünhelme are funded primarily through donations from private individuals. Additional support comes from foundations and medium-sized companies.
We deliberately refrain from accepting government funding in order to maintain our independence and because project-based public funding typically involves a very high administrative burden.
How Can I Get Involved?
We are looking for people with practical professional experience — especially in construction trades, architecture, civil engineering, or related fields. Key requirements include teamwork, resilience, respect for other cultures, and the willingness to participate in a project for at least three months.
An extension to six months is possible after the halfway point. The Grünhelme live and work directly in the communities where buildings are constructed together with local residents. Living conditions are often basic but sufficient. Our assignments are voluntary; travel costs, accommodation, food, and insurance are covered, and volunteers receive a small allowance.
If you can imagine contributing your skills to an international team for several months, we look forward to receiving your application via our online form. For example, via this online application form.
Green Helmets
c/o Yvonne Neudeck
Verweyenstraße 3
53121 Bonn
Germany
Phone: +49 176 21969418
You can reach us by e-mail at: peace@gruenhelme.de
Board of directors
Chairman of the board:
Simon Bethlehem (born 1986) is a trained carpenter. He also studied social sciences and economics in Cologne and peace and conflict research in Frankfurt am Main. First working for the Green Helmets in the DR Congo in 2011, Simon joined the project coordination team in 2013 and has since taken on project management roles in Mauritania, Kenya, Turkey/Syria and Iraq, as well as currently in Lebanon.
Deputy Chairman:
Max Werlein (born in 1982) is the son of two employees of the “Cap Anamur Committee” who met during an assignment in Uganda in 1980. Max Werlein studied energy and environmental engineering in Hamburg and has lived and worked in Leipzig since 2012. Max Werlein’s first assignment for the Green Helmets was in 2009 as part of a school construction project in the DR Congo, South Kivu province. Since summer 2013, Max Werlein has reduced his professional workload and taken on more tasks for the Green Helmets.
Member of the board:
Annabella Ranft (born in 1991) holds a Master of Arts in Architecture from the University of Augsburg. She gained her first international construction experience in 2018 with projects in Tanzania and Nepal. She has been active with the Green Helmets since 2022, taking on organizational tasks and supporting the planning and implementation of ongoing projects. She also assists with public relations. In addition to her work with Grünhelme, Annabella is completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter in Freiburg and serves on the board of a charitable foundation. We are delighted to welcome her to the board as treasurer.
Coordination and Management:
Yvonne Neudeck (born 1972) has been helping to issue donation receipts since she was a schoolgirl, as the Cap Anamur Committee’s head office was located in her living room for many years: she is the daughter of Christel and Rupert Neudeck. After studying political science and African studies, she worked in Kosovo for three years, rebuilding houses that had been destroyed in the war and educating the population about the dangers of landmines. She then went to Zimbabwe for six years, where she managed emergency aid projects for AIDS patients and orphans and implemented income-generating measures for small farmers. Yvonne Neudeck took over the administrative management of the Green Helmets in 2016 and works from Bonn on our projects in Nigeria and Syria, where we work with local partners.
Honorary Chairman:
Rupert Neudeck was born in Gdańsk on May 14, 1939. In February 1979, he founded the Cap Anamur Committee together with Heinrich Böll. From 1979 to 1986, the aid ships rescued 11,488 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea. Numerous, mainly medical, projects are still taking place in many countries today. In 2003, Rupert Neudeck founded the Green Helmets aid organization with Aiman Mazyek. He wrote his doctorate in philosophy on “Political ethics in Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus”. Until his retirement, he worked as a journalist for Deutschlandfunk in Cologne. Rupert Neudeck received the following honors, among others: the Theodor Heuss Medallie, the Erich Kästner Preis, the Marion Dönhoff Preis, an honorary doctorate from the Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster and the University of Prizren in Kosovo, the Bürgerpreis der deutschen Zeitungsverleger, the Erich Fromm Preis and the Bornheimer of the Bornheim European School.
Rupert Neudeck died on May 31, 2016 in Siegburg.