How we work

An informative and entertaining overview of our activities and our approach is provided by our current image film, which was produced by the Berlin director and filmmaker Dietmar Klein for and with arche noVa.

arche noVa-Imagefilm

Our focus: water, sanitation and hygiene

Founded in Dresden in 1992 by a handful of young people who organized an aid transport to Iraqi Kurdistan, arche noVa now focuses on WASH-projects that combine the fields of water, sanitation and hygiene. For over 650 million people fetch their daily water from unprotected sources, ponds or rivers – putting their health at risk.

We are committed to the goal that all of them have access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation. This means improved health, higher food security, new income opportunities and the prospect of a self-determined life for the people we support. arche noVa mainly works in rural areas where clean water supply is especially problematic. In cooperation with the local population, we develop individual solutions using mainly local building material as well as adjusted and easy-to-maintain technologies. We work with local partner organizations and village communities according to the principle of capacity building and specifically strengthen the civil society.

Fast emergency assistance

We also support people affected by catastrophes. Our help includes providing drinking water treatment plants, water filters, relief goods and first reconstruction measures. Whether droughts, floods, earthquakes or conflicts caused by humans: humanitarian catastrophes increase all over the world, entailing devastating consequences. arche noVa often works in areas difficult to access - within close proximity to the front, without entrance possibility for international specialized staff; areas that can only be reached by walking several hours. Emergency aid requires high flexibility. However, we usually work off the beaten tracks in our long-term projects as well to support people in need in an efficient and sustainable way.

Global Education

Our Global Education projects in Germany and Europe depict connections between the Global North and the Global South and encourage young people to look into global topics. We want to sensitize them to problems and inequalities within the globalized world and enable them to develop an independent opinion and become aware of their own responsibility.

At a glance:

arche noVa was active in 17 countries in 2022 and supported 1.4 million people in need. The total expenditure was 17 million Euros. Of this, 87.42 percent was spent on projects abroad, 4.7 percent for flood relief in Germany and 3.99 percent in the education program. Expenditure on public relations and advertising and general administration was 3.84 percent.

arche noVa annual report 2021

Statute of arche noVa

arche noVa Organizational Structure

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