Where it all started

The activities of the International Building Association (IBO) started in Belgium in 1953 on the initiative of a priest, Father Werenfried van Straaten, to help refugees still living in very bad conditions after WWII. From the Christian values of forgiveness and solidarity, a lot of money was collected to help the Germans with the reconstruction of their country. Soon it became clear that it was necessary to build some emergency houses for the people that had no longer a home. That's how the Building association was born. Separate organisations were founded in several countries. In 1962 these came together in an international association, IBO.

Nowadays IBO still functions as a framework for the cooperation between the members, thus promoting a good coordination of the activities.