Where Will You Get Involved
Volunteer in the United States
(office in the San Francisco Bay Area)
Find out how you can volunteer with COSAS in the San Francisco Bay Area and make a difference to build solidarity for the continued struggle to implement the Freedom Charter.
Volunteer in South Africa
Find out how you can volunteer with COSAS in South Africa to build critical international ties between the U.S. and South Africa, developing links that aid in the implementation of the Freedom Charter.
GET INVOLVED
Volunteer with COSAS in the U.S.
COSAS is an all volunteer organization located in the San Francisco Bay Area. COSAS is building international solidarity with people in South Africa. Our first priority is countering the misinformation and disinformation from Western media by informing people in the U.S. about the continuing struggle in South Africa. COSAS also sends shipments of school supplies to South Africa to fill requests from South African members. Like in South Africa, we in the U.S. understand what it is like to live in a country with incredible wealth while not having control of how to use that wealth to solve our common problems! Your participation will make a difference in the struggle for control over our destiny!
Call today!
International Solidarity Campaign
Join COSAS in continuing to organize for the implementation of the 1955 Freedom Charter. While apartheid ended in 1994, these goals have not been realized. COSAS organizes an educational campaign to counter the misinformation in the Western media and sends solidarity shipments of school supplies to low-income schools in South Africa. Through organization, COSAS demonstrates we can build a better world for all of us. Volunteers can participate in many ways!
International Communication Session
Join COSAS’ Weekly International Communication Session
Volunteers will have an opportunity to meet South African members and learn about the real conditions in the country.
Organize a collection of school supplies
Books, Pens & Backpacks
Volunteer to organize a collection of school supplies (1st to 12th grade) with supportive businesses, faith groups, community organizations or schools to send to low-income South African schools. COSAS can also teach volunteers how to organize collections through community information tables, weekly phone training sessions and speaking engagements.
Pick up and deliver donated supplies
Volunteer to Pick up School Supplies
Volunteer to drive your own vehicle for the transportation team to pick up school supplies from supportive schools, churches or individuals and bring the supplies to COSAS’ storage space.
Sort and pack
Volunteer on a Sort and Pack Session to Box Up the Donated Supplies
Every Saturday, COSAS leads a sort and pack session of books and schools supplies. Volunteers will learn to process incoming supplies and fill requests from South African members. Volunteers can also join weekly calls with South African members to take requests for supplies and learn more about the conditions of the schools.
Load the container to Africa
Volunteer to Transport Supplies to the Port of Oakland on Ship-out Day
Volunteer on ship-out day for the Solidarity Shipment. Once a year, COSAS delivers the prepared shipment to a warehouse at the port and then loads the packed boxes by school onto pallets, which are finally loaded into a shipping container.
Education Campaign
COSAS conducts an education campaign to counter Western media disinformation and the pernicious silence about South Africa in specific, and world affairs in general. This is more important now than ever, when Americans are increasingly cut off from real knowledge of positive, exciting developments in the rest of the world and denied the ability to build mutually beneficial, friendly relations with the people of other nations based on common goals. Volunteers can join COSAS’ weekly World Affairs class, as well as classes on successfully organizing tactics and strategy.
Write for the South African BEACON
Sign Up as a BEACON Correspondent
Volunteers can become a BEACON correspondent by agreeing to ongoing writing assignments or conduct interviews with supportive COSAS contacts.
Learn to Write or Edit Articles
Volunteers can also learn – or help teach – how to write and edit for South African BEACON. Volunteers will learn how to research, write and edit articles at weekly publication sessions.
Design and publish
Volunteers Design COSAS Literature
Volunteers can learn – or help teach – design of COSAS’ quarterly publications South African BEACON and Ubuntu Guide. Volunteers also assist in design of literature for COSAS events and flyers at COSAS’ weekly publication sessions.
Learn to Organize Donated Printing of Flyers and Publications
Volunteers can learn how to organize printing for COSAS literature through business canvasses in the community to speak to new and supportive printers about COSAS’ mission.
Distribute COSAS literature and BEACON
Distribute South African BEACON
Volunteers learn organizing skills to sign up others in the community interested in joining COSAS by using the South African BEACON as an organizing and educational tool. Volunteers learn how to do outreach in front of grocery stores, at local community events and other locations. Person-to-person contact is still the most powerful form of communication in the world!
Speak to clubs, churches and classes
Join COSAS’ Speakers Bureau
The COSAS people-to-people international solidarity campaign helps strengthen grassroots development of the natural leadership in the communities here in the U.S. and in South Africa. We work together to organize for fundamental change through international solidarity. To this end, COSAS does presentations to promote COSAS’ programs. Volunteers learn how to set up and conduct speaking engagements to churches, schools, organizations and clubs. Volunteers can also invite COSAS to do a presentation at their school, business, organization or church.
Classes on organizing strategy
Education Campaign
COSAS has a series of classes about the history of successful organizing here and around the world. Classes cover topics from the South African anti-apartheid movement, to the American Labor and Civil Rights Movement. Volunteers can join our weekly World Affairs and Organizer Training Classes — the only cost of tuition is active participation.
Organizer Training
COSAS offers part-time and full-time training programs where volunteers gain professional organizing skills and learn how to coordinate an area of responsibility within COSAS. The forces that perpetuate oppression and misery in South Africa are the same forces responsible for increasing exploitation and poverty of poor and working people in the U.S. – and so in that sense, it is truly an international struggle not only for the people of South Africa, but for our own liberation from the international forces that bar us from making the decisions affecting our own lives. Your time can make a real difference in ending the poverty in South Africa and globally.
Build a Self-help Mutual Benefit Committee
Members and Volunteers Learn How to Mobilize Resources in South Africa to Meet Local Needs
Volunteers in this committee learn how to mobilize collections to fill requests for needed equipment and supplies that COSAS cannot send from the U.S. through the Solidarity Shipments due strict import regulations. For example, COSAS currently has requests from 20 low-income schools for computers and laptops. Volunteers work alongside South African members to provide the assistance they need to procure donations of these items in South Africa from South African businesses, wealthier schools or organizations, in solidarity.
There are three official capitals – one for each branch of government!
Pretoria (Executive)
Bloemfontein (Judicial)
Cape Town (Legislative)
GET INVOLVED
Volunteer with COSAS from South Africa
Join COSAS in continuing to organize for the implementation of the 1955 Freedom Charter. While apartheid ended in 1994, these goals have not been realized. COSAS organizes an educational campaign to counter the misinformation in the Western media and sends solidarity shipments of school supplies to low-income schools in South Africa. Through organization, COSAS demonstrates we can build a better world for all of us. Volunteers can participate in many ways!
Contact us today!
Solidarity Campaign
COSAS’ Self-help Mutual Benefit Committee
Volunteers in South Africa will learn how to mobilize collections to fill requests COSAS has received from low-income schools, for supplies. Due to strict import laws, COSAS cannot ship certain items and needs help from concerned individuals in South Africa in order to fill these requests. For example, COSAS currently has requests from 20 low-income schools for computers and laptops. COSAS will provide South African volunteers on-the job training in COSAS’ method through their participation in the Committee. Volunteers will get training in how to lead business canvasses, do phone calls to positive contacts and lead meetings.
Speaking engagements
Join COSAS’ Speakers Bureau
The COSAS people-to-people international solidarity campaign helps strengthen grassroots development of the natural leadership in the communities here in the U.S. and in South Africa, and we work together to organize for fundamental change through international solidarity. To this end, COSAS does presentations to promote COSAS’ programs. Volunteers learn how to set up and conduct speaking engagements to schools, business associations, community organizations, faith congregations and clubs.
Volunteers can also invite COSAS to do a presentation at their school, business, organization or church.
Article production for South Africa BEACON
Sign Up as a BEACON Correspondent
Volunteers can become BEACON correspondents by agreeing to ongoing writing assignments or conducting interviews with supportive COSAS contacts on topics of interest.
COSAS educational classes
Educational Campaign
COSAS conducts a once a month educational class on everything from the apartheid struggle and African liberation movements, to the American Labour and Civil Rights Movement and everything in between. Volunteers can join our once a month Organizer and Training Classes.