Pretoria, South Africa: It's about volunteering! Monday 18 July is Mandela Day, and it's one of the landmarks during this special year for volunteers.

The Mandela Day campaign message is simple: Nelson Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. The campaign is asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting their chosen charity or serving their local community.

Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals – for people everywhere – to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr. Mandela did.  Read article

Pretoria, South Africa: A UNV volunteer has brought together Africa's top musicians for a high-profile campaign connecting the Millennium Development Goals with the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.  Read article

Limpopo Province, South Africa: "We worked hard," said Halima Chande, one of the organizers. "But with work, songs, drama, local dances and a good lunch with drinks, it was not viewed as a social function by the young generation. I was so moved that after establishing almost one acre of orchard, these young people did not feel tired..."  Read article

VOSESA has conducted a cross-national study on civic service and volunteering in five southern African countries: Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The study focused on the form and extent of civic service programmes in these countries.  Read article

This research demonstrates how different actors in the South African region are co-operating to address the human development challenges in the five countries - Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The service initiatives reported on contribute to developing knowledge and good practice, and demonstrate the role that service and volunteering can play in promoting the achievement of national social development goals and priorities.   Read article