The group of civil volunteers- GVC was formed on May twenty-first in 1971 in the city of Bologna Italy. It's a non-profitable association recognised by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Relations as a reliable organism that promotes and establishes co-operation projects with developing countries.

In 2005 GVC is responsible for co-ordinating 80 co-operation programs, co-sponsored by 15 different financing sources, and is participating in many micro-projects that derive from solidarity and social awareness activities in Italy, and in other places financed directly by local sponsors that happen to integrate and complete the activities established by its main projects.

GVC is present in 8 geographical areas and in 24 countries of the Southern Hemisphere, where it is organised with representatives and co-ordination offices. In Italy it disposes of support groups in the Marche and Liguria regions, in the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, and in several cities of the Emilia Romagna.

The complexity and variety of the activities and its presence in numerous areas are factors which qualify and represent the assets of GVC's experience and consent to a diverse professionalism present in the areas where GVC is working and in action.

GVC promotes local development programs mainly in the following areas: Health, agriculture and environmental, primary education and in promoting women's role in the development and reconciliation of under-aged citizens that are part of local underprivileged population. GVC implements multiple public opinion awareness activities that concern development and integration problems, international co-operation and international peace and solidarity.

In collaboration with local administrative organs, other NGOs, cultural associations, co-operatives and different territorial states, GVC promotes debates and seminars, Videos, work-shops, thematic internships for teachers and students, besides producing informative material for schools and administrating an international documentation centre.

It also promotes information and funding campaigns for specific themes, with the objective of encouraging the confrontation of the problems between north/south, rich/poor countries, trying to gain support from local communities.

All the organisations involved, each one in their sphere of competence, divide the conviction that a well balanced and more defused world-wide development would generate conditions for a new era of prosperity, besides fronting the fact that a large number of the world's population live in misery. These organisations feel that they have a moral and political duty of concentrating and elaborating a fairer alternative development project for the underprivileged.