July 21, 2025: The Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA) celebrated its 30th anniversary with a celebration that brought together a number of volunteers, partners, staff, and well-wishers from all over the country. The Reflections on Association with COVA@30 event saw video messages from collaborators across India highlighted COVA’s wide-ranging engagement on over 30 issues ,from grassroot works in slums of Hyderabad to policy advocacy with multilateral institutions. The development of the organization and its reach in the field of social activism were documented in a documentary that was made by the Mass Communication Department of Maulana Azad National Urdu University. In addition, a book titled "Chronicle of COVA@30: Service Through Social Transformations" was published, with contributions from 150 partners, associates, and volunteers. Speakers deeply appreciated COVA’s notable work in violence prevention, education, financial inclusion and interfaith dialogue. The organisation’s Compassionate Citizenship Programme, now part of Telangana’s school curriculum, was praised as a model for moral and civic education.
According to a media release, its research on financial inclusion, commissioned ahead of the 2013 G20 Summit in Russia, resulted in nine of its twelve recommendations being adopted by India’s Finance Ministry, five of which were integrated into the eMUDRA Scheme.
Participants recalled how COVA’s community initiatives had helped prevent communal violence in Hyderabad since 2012, describing the group’s work as vital to peacebuilding and social harmony.