Synthesis

• The study presents patterns and trends in volunteering action and experiences during an unprecedented time, and contributes to bridging the gaps in volunteering data in the Global South.
• Undertaken in eight countries in the Global South (Bolivia, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Senegal, Thailand, Turkey and Uzbekistan), the study explores trends in volunteering before, during and beyond the global COVID-19 crisis. 
• It highlights the pandemic’s impact on both volunteer–state relationships and volunteering, and reveals trends in volunteer engagement as well as patterns in gender participation. It also discusses the prospects for volunteering beyond the pandemic and notes that volunteering could be an important channel for people to help shape countries’ pathways out of the crisis.