On July 18, 2009, the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to make Nelson Mandela’s birthday Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of a lifetime of giving to South Africa and to the world.
Tuesday is the day on which people are asked to give 67 minutes of their time – one minute for every year of Mandela’s public service – as a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good.
As Madiba said: “It is in your hands to make of the world a better place.”
We has compiled a list of 67 things to do to make the world a better place.
1. Childline KZN’s wish list for Mandela Day relates to its main office at 123 Percy Osborne Road, Morningside, and includes cleaning inside and out, painting and repairs.
Its a 24-hour Helpline, 0800055555, gets up to 250000 calls a year.
How to donate: SMS “hero” to 39555. SMSes costs R15 each.
Donate each month with a debit order. Visit www.childlinekzn.org.za/superhero to download the form.
Credit card donations can be made through a secure online portal via www.childlinekzn.org.za/superhero.
Direct deposit to Childline KZN: Bank: Nedbank
Account type: Current
Branch: 148 626
Account no: 100 311 1971
Donations are tax deductible and Childline KZN can issue Section 18A certificates on request – if your donation is for goods, the certificate can be for the value.
Call 031 312 0904 or e-mail developmentofficer@childlinekzn.org.za
2. I Care runs a holistic programme transforming the lives of street children, with a drop-in centre, rehab and three houses.
Donations of groceries and toiletries are always top of its wish list, followed by second-hand clothing, shoes, linen, etc.
Teenagers in I Care are learning to surf, so if you have an old board you are willing to part with, you would make someone very happy. The organisation can collect during office hours, or donations can be dropped off at the head office, inside Christ Church, 57 Hambridge Ave, Somerset Park, uMhlanga, or the I Care Hope Centre on the corner of Mathew Meyiwa (Stamford Hill) Road and Kent Street, Greyville.
Donations can be made at Nedbank. Branch: 198765
Account no: 1648064566.
Tax receipt on request.
Call 031 572 6870 or 081 331 5484.
3. Child Welfare Durban and Districts homes and care centres have many wishes, and most could come true with a little donated time: a clean-up, a table cloth or two, or a game of soccer with the kids.
To help out at Lakehaven Child and Youth Centre (9 Centre Road, Sea Cow Lake, ages 6-18) call Shenaaz Gabru or Michelle van Rooyen at 031 577 0065.
For Edith Benson Babies Home (23 Garbutt Road, Sherwood, ages birth to 5), call Jasmin East at 031 207 1366. For William Clark Gardens or Othandweni Child and Youth Care Centre (also Garbutt Road, Sherwood, ages 5-18) call Farhana Patel or Nozipho Gumede at 031 207 1366.
The wish lists can be found at https://cwdd.org.za/ nelson-mandela-day-2017/
4. SPCAs and animal rescue groups always need help in one form or another. To assist at Kloof and Highway SPCA, 29 Village Road, visit its website at www.kloofspca.co.za or e-mail Brigitte at marketing@kloofspca.co.za to offer your time or to find out about the many other ways you can help. There will also be many activities throughout the day to get involved in.
If you are in the Durban and Coast area, visit the organisation at the corner of Willowfield Crescent/Inanda Road, Springfield Park. LotusFM is broadcasting live from the premises from 7am-3pm, encouraging people to spend their 67 minutes sharing some human companionship with the animals.
Visitors are encouraged to take a donation of pet food or blankets, visit the charity shop, café or nursery.
Its website is www.spcadbn.org.za or call 031 579 6500.
5. Pack comfort bags for the Jess Foord Foundation to give to rape survivors. For adults, the most useful products are soap, facecloth, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, body lotion, sanitary pads, small pack of tissues, panties, comb, brush and small trinket, small notepad and pen.
For children, soap, facecloth, small packet of tissues, colouring-in book and crayons, small notebook and pen, small soft toy.
Call 0861 333 449, e-mail admin@jff.org.za or visit www.jff.org.za for more details.
6. Sign up for the Mandela Day Marathon, from Pietermaritzburg to Howick (28.4km), on August 26-27, to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Visit www.mandelamarathon.co.za, call 033 897 6713 or e-mail info@mandelamarathon.co.za
7. Join the Howick CBD clean-up from 12.30pm-1.37pm: individuals, families, churches, businesses and government are invited to join the 67-minute tidying and clearing project. Bring black bags, gloves and scrapers to remove illegal posters on street poles. Meet at the Agricultural Hall.
8. Volunteer at the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, which welcomes helpers wherever possible. Some enlist for just a few hours once a week, or on one project until it is completed (for example, events), and people who are committed long-term.
If you are interested in volunteering, visit www.facebook.com/Hillcrest-AIDS-Centre-Trust-280100765363756/ and complete a form. E-mail info@hillaids.org.za
9. Donation-based yoga class with all proceeds going to the Westville Baby House. Please bring R70 cash or baby goods to that value (or more) such as: Purity, Infasoy 2, milk formulas, baby wash, hand sanitisers and wipes, household cleaners, fresh fruit and vegetables. Space is limited and booking required. E-mail onenessyogastudio@gmail.com
10. Contact the Denis Hurley Centre at khulekile@denishurleycentre.org and plan to volunteer later in the year – because for them, every day is Mandela Day.
11. Highway Hospice, 59 Locksley Drive, Durban, 8am-5pm celebrates with food, music, activities, tours and a heap of fun.
12. Offer to fetch and deliver items for charitable organisations. This is especially helpful on Mandela Day.
13. Sponsor kids to watch a sports game at their local stadium.
14. Donate sports equipment to a children’s shelter or even a local soccer, cricket, hockey, tennis, rugby team, etc.
15. Take a pack of seeds to a school and help the children plant them. This will bring about environmental awareness to the kids. Children can also be helped to plant trees. They can also plant vegetables which they can sell to neighbours or eat at home.
16. Put together stationery packs (pens, stickers, coloured paper, scissors, glitter, etc) for teachers and pupils at an under-resourced school.
17. Arm yourself and some neighbours with plastic gloves and black bags and do a neighbourhood or beach clean-up.
18. Choose a charity that is special to you and spend 67 minutes going online to set up a monthly debit order for donations.
19. Make “care kits” (including a comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, face cloth, etc) for patients in government hospitals.
20. Throw a tea party for the children and carers at a children’s home.
21. Mow the lawn and fix up the garden at a nursing home or hospice.
22. Get your colleagues together and make sandwiches to give to people living on the street – and why not sit and have lunch with them while you’re at it?
23. Read stories to children at a children’s home.
24. Give blood. The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) will host hundreds of mobile donor clinics today. However, by donating a unit of blood every eight weeks, blood donors live up to the ideal of Mandela Day by performing voluntary service throughout the year – and potentially save the lives of three people.
The SANBS’s theme for Mandela Day is: it’s not just blood, it’s saving a nation. To find your nearest donation site, call 0800 11 9031, e-mail customerservice@sanbs.org.za or click on http://sanbs.org.za/mandela-day-activities/
25. Become an organ donor.
26. Host a dinner where the meal budget is R6.70 per person as a way of identifying with the millions who live below the poverty line.
27. Plant a garden or fruit tree where the whole neighbourhood can enjoy it.
28. Offer to fix things at a local school or organisation (paint, broken windows, etc).
29. Hold a drive to collect teddy bears or books for a children’s home.
30. Baby-sit for a single parent.
31. Donate books to your local library.
32. Collect and distribute children’s books to under-resourced schools.
33. Donate magazines and books to a home for the elderly.
34. Invite a carer to go on a relaxing outing to the beach or to a park for a picnic.
35. Throw a party for the residents of an old age home.
36. Mow the garden or clean the windows for a senior citizen.
37. Pick up groceries or medicine for an elderly person.
38. Go for a walk with a senior citizen in your community.
39. Teach someone how to use a computer and the internet. Be patient!
40. Tutor someone who needs help learning your mother tongue.
41. Donate old computer/gadgets to an under-resourced school or NPO.
42. Find out more about the courses to become a helpline counsellor.
43. Bake a cake or biscuits and take them to a police station for the officers.
44. Blog about an NPO that needs support.
45. Offer your skills (finance, marketing, customer service, filing, etc) to help an organisation run more efficiently.
46. Go through your house and donate some good quality items to a charity shop.
47. Spend 67 minutes phoning or calling in at organisations and setting up one day to volunteer each month until the end of the year.
48. Set up a monthly collection in your neighbourhood for an affordable item like canned food or dog food to give to a local charity.
49. Give up one unnecessary item or treatment for a month – such as getting your nails done – and donate that money instead.
50. Write down 67 good deeds you’d like to do on 67 pieces of paper and stick them up around your home where you’ll see them every day. As you get through them, remove and feel heartened by your dedication.
51. Buy a supermarket voucher for the value of R67 and give it to a needy person.
52. Tip your petrol attendant, car guard or waiter an extra R6.70.
53. Commit to doing 67 acts of kindness before the end of the day, from helping your elderly neighbour with a chore, to recycling, to apologising to a friend.
54. Buy items on a shopping list at selected Pick * Pay stores this weekend, and donate them. Then join up to be a volunteer to pack donations in to parcels for distribution. The list, and the volunteer form, can be found at https://foodforwardsa.org/mandela-day
55. Join the Mandela Day Shop for Good Amazing Race at Gateway Theatre of Shopping from 9am. Each team of three will receive a shopping voucher and a shopping list in the form of clues. Teams will have 67 minutes to shop for the relief hampers, including a few short fun challenges in the spirit of Mandela Day.
Various relief hampers will be packed. Take part in our Social Media Campaign by using the #hashtags provided to qualify for random shout outs, acknowledgements and maybe even the honour of being crowned the 2017 Shop for Good Amazing Race Champs. Contact Brenda at 031 563 0189 or e-mail brenda@angelprojects.co.za to secure your place.
56. Pop in to your nearest hospital during visiting hours and spend a few minutes chatting to the patients who are on their own.
57. Take #ActionAgainstPoverty by joining Stop Hunger Now SA. It feeds more than 55 000 children hot nutritious meals at least five times a week in nearly 300 crèches across South Africa. As part of the Mandela Month #Rise4Good challenge, thousands of corporate volunteers countrywide aim to package more than 3 million meals by giving 67 minutes of their time. July 17-18 Midlands Liberty Mall (KZN); July 18: Wild Coast Casino. E-mail events@stophungernowsa.org for costs and booking information, or visit www.stophungernowsa.org
58. Donate to Gift of the Givers, one of the continent’s biggest disaster-relief and charitable organisations. Visit www.giftofthegivers.org/contact-us/contact-details to sign up and select the project you want to support.
59. If you have a friend or relative who hasn’t been well for a while, offer to help by doing some household or gardening chores.
60. Offer your DIY skills to someone who doesn’t have the ability and whose home may need a bit of TLC.
61. If you’re travelling on a toll road, pay the toll for the car behind you.
62. The Mercury Hibberdene Children’s Holiday Home, which provides holidays to children who would never otherwise have one, relies on funding and donations. The home needs plates, toiletries and clothes and food. The homes’ two buildings, which accommodate boys and girls separately, also need curtains and paint for the roofs. Donate through Independent Media Community Projects, Molehe Molosioa at 0313082431 or e-mail molehe.molosioa@inl.co.za
63. Donate to Community Chest, which aims to improve the lives of all South Africans by mobilising the caring power of communities, business and government to advance the common good. E-mail info@comchest.org.za or visit www.comchest.org.za
64. Give a child a smile by donating to The Smile Foundation, a group of medical and other volunteers who carry out facial plastic and reconstructive surgery on children. Visit http://www.smilefoundationsa.org/cash-donation/ to donate money, time or to alert the organisation to a child who needs this help.
65. Sponsor a guide dog by paying for the puppy training: www.guidedog.org.za or email aner@guidedog.org.za for details.
66. Just do one good deed on the day, even if it only takes a minute.
67. Think of ways to make the next 365 days Mandela Days.
