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| United Nations Volunteers launches State of the World's Volunteerism Report on 5 December 2011. To access the report, click below:.
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| On 2 November 2011, Business Day published an article on the findings of a new survey on volunteering in South Africa. The article reports that voluntary work is worth R 7.7bn to the South African Economy.
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| On 4 November 2011, Business Day published a letter from Helene Perold, Executive Director of VOSESA in response to the article. Perold praises the South African government for its pioneering research but takes issue with their finding that volunteering is mainly done by the middle-class.
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On 8 November 2011, Helene Perold, Executive Director of VOSESA and Agnes Uhereczky, Director of AVSO, gave the opening address to a conference at the European Parliament entitled “Solidarity with emerging and developing countries: Which future for European Volunteering?” Click here for the presentation.
The conference was sponsored by one of the youngest members of the European Parliament, Mrs. Karima Delli, a French politician with the Greens Party elected in the 2009 European election for the Île-de-France constituency who presented the report on IYV +10 to the Committee on regional development. Other Members of the European Parliament who sponsored the event were Mrs. Marian Harkin (ALDE), Mr. Marc Tarabella (S&D) and Mrs. Marie-Christine Vergiat(GUE), Mr. Georgios Papanikolaou and Mrs. Michelle Striffler.
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| On December 5th, International Volunteer Day, VOSESA launches its research report on the experience of International Voluntary Service (IVS) by host organisations, host communities and volunteers. The study, conducted in Mozambique and Tanzania was funded by Trust Africa and supported the Center for Social Development at the Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA. To read the report or the executive summary, click below.
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 Just over 180 champions of volunteering attended the first ever Southern Africa Conference on Volunteer Action from 17-19 October 2011 in Johannesburg. Participants were mainly from southern Africa and represented government, the private sector youth organisations, development organisations and higher education institutions.
Click here for the declaration that was adopted at the closing session of the conference.
Click here to access the conference research and discussion papers.
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 Today, on 5 December, the world celebrates International Volunteer Day. This day has particular relevance as it falls during the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers or IYV Plus Ten in 2011.
Throughout the southern African region, strong traditions of volunteering are an expression of ubuntu, the African philosophy that connects individuals and communities through reciprocity and provides a powerful basis for unity, common humanity, peace and development.
VOSESA would like to recognise the millions of volunteers, many of whom are poor themselves, who keep this spirit alive.
We would also like to thank the many partners and individuals who enrich our work and whose passion and skill are helping to strengthen volunteering and civic service in the region.
To learn more about IVD or IYV+10, click below:
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VOSESA's analysis of the volunteering response to the 2008 Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa and its potential for social change.