History

Studieren Ohne Grenzen was founded on October 29th 2006 in Tübingen and Konstanz on the initiative of Felix Weth, student of politics. The organisation is a branch of the French organisation Etudes Sans Frontières which started supporting Chechen students with their studies in France in 2003.

The Studieren Ohne Grenzen Chechenia program builds on the experiences of French Etudes Sans Frontières. At the beginning of April 2008 the first Chechen scholarship holder arrived in Konstanz. Two new scholarship holders could start their studies in Tübingen in July 2009. In addition to new uptakes, a project to improve educational infrastructure called “Books to Grozny” was set up. In 2012 the first lot of urgently needed technical literature was sent to Grozny’s university libraries.

In September 2007 the first ten Congolese scholarship holders could start their studies in Kindu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A second program in the DRC was initiated in 2010 in Mweso, where scholarship holders study at an agronomic institute. Since 2013 we support Afghan scholarship holders. Our youngest project is in north-east Sri Lanka, a region strongly affected by the past civil war.

Thanks to its idea of international student solidarity, Studieren Ohne Grenzen has been able, alongside these projects, to recruit new members and to establish local groups in many German cities. Most of the members are students from various branches of study who are helping as volunteers.

Over the years Studieren Ohne Grenzen has become increasingly well-known, as well regionally as nationally, and has been able to find more and more support from personalities active in politics, economics and society. This is also mirrored in the various awards Studieren Ohne Grenzen has obtained for its innovative approach to the support of young people in crisis regions.