Mandela Day is a yearly event that takes place on the 18th of July. It’s a day when we honour the legacy of our nation’s hero, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, and follow in his footsteps to be kind and help others in any way we can. On Mandela Day, everyone is encouraged to take out at least 67 minutes of their day to help those less fortunate, help animal shelters or do their share of good in the world, big or small. It only takes 67 minutes, and in some cases even less to make a difference. Here are 20 ways you could make a difference this Madiba Day, and every day after that.
1. Donate Blood
Caring is ‘in our blood’. Only a couple of minutes of your time can add years to someone else’s life. So on Mandela Day, head down to your nearest blood donor centre and donate blood. According to the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), a unit of blood can save up to three lives. Visit the SANBS website to find a donation centre near you.
2. Feed The Hungry
If you have a ‘hunger’ to do your part and help those in need, you can hand out food to the people in your community. Or you can donate your time or money to an organisation that has a feeding scheme or feeds the people they look after. A small meal will go a long way for someone who may not have had anything to eat that day.
Make Jars Of Hope
Construct Jars Of Hope to hand out to people in need in your community. One of these jars is able to feed up to four individuals or provide multiple meals to one person. All that is needed is hot water, and the mixture would need to be stirred continuously until it’s taken shape.
What you need for each Jar Of Hope:
- A clean, sterilised coffee jar
- Half a cup of rice
- Half a cup of soup mix
- Half a cup of lentils
- One unwrapped stock cube
- One packet of instant soup powder
Make sure you twist the jar’s lid tight to avoid any contamination.
Donate So SA Harvest
SA Harvest rescues quality, nourishing food (perishable and non-perishable) that would have otherwise gone to waste. They then redistribute it to a wide range of beneficiary organisations which feed those in need across South Africa. At the same time, SA Harvest develops sustainable programmes within communities that will ensure food sovereignty for them in the long run and educates the community on food waste avoidance.
Donate To The Nelson Mandela Foundation
If you have some cash to spare on Nelson Mandela Day, why not donate it to The Nelson Mandela Fund? The Nelson Mandela Foundation #Each1Feed1 campaign supports individuals and families that are facing hunger. They provide non-perishable food items for distribution to communities in need which will support families for a minimum of three months.
Volunteer With Ladles Of Love
Spend your 67 minutes, or even more time feeding the homeless with Ladles of Love. Ladles of Love feed homeless people in Cape Town and Johannesburg daily, but in-person volunteering is only available in Cape Town. You can use your 67 minutes serving soup to those in need, or you can help prepare food at your home and drop it off at a collection point near you.
3. Offer An Extra Pair Of Hands On Mandela Day
If you know of someone in your community who needs help around their home, offer to fix a few things or to help them mow the lawn. You can also lend a hand at a disadvantaged school or organisation.
It will also be a great idea to visit a local old age home and brighten their day with some baked goods and flowers. It can be very lonely being on your own in your old age, so these granny and gramps living there full time will be grateful for your company.
4. Tutor Children From Underprivileged Schools
If you have a skill that you excel in, why not offer your services for 67 minutes this Mandela Day? Get in touch with the principal or teacher of a school that you know could use some help and find out the best way to go about it. You might discover how much you truly enjoy teaching and do it more often. Or you could choose to chat with children about your career and ask friends to volunteer their time on different days to discuss theirs too. You’ll help children understand what types of careers are out there and encourage them to be curious and venture into a career they never even considered.
You can also volunteer with Help2Read. They help children from disadvantaged communities learn to read. Their literacy intervention programmes are run at public primary schools across South Africa, and provide children who struggle to read with one-on-one attention from volunteers or from trained literate adults from township communities employed as Literacy Tutors.
5. Start A Community Vegetable Garden
Do you know of a place that has ‘mush’-room for a vegetable garden in your community? Get busy planting seeds and ‘sprout’ up some vegetables for those in need. By doing this and showing the community how to maintain the garden, you’re helping to provide nourishment to the community. Get ‘growing’ and find out about existing community gardens in your area here.
6. Help Someone Find A Job
Many people don’t know how to create a CV and you might be the Shakespeare of writing cover letters or the Picasso to their CV’s design. Use your skills to help build a CV for someone and show them how to apply for jobs online. You also can assist them in setting up a LinkedIn profile or show them how to access job listings on Facebook, BizCommunity, PNet, Career24, and Indeed, among other job portals.
7. Teach Someone Your Mother Tongue
South Africa has eleven official languages! Spend some time teaching others how to speak your mother tongue and even take the time to learn a bit of theirs. Soon you will be able to share more than just smiles with people you pass on the street and greet them in their own language. Helping someone improve their life is not only about donating items. By donating your time and knowledge, you could help someone go far and speak to people who look differently to them with a bit more confidence.
8. Buy A “Bed” For The Homeless
Knowing that you have a safe and warm place to rest your head can make a world of difference. The Haven Night Shelter in Cape Town started a campaign called “Buy a bed” where you could donate R75 (R15 per night, for five nights) to help a homeless person have a bed for 5 days.
9. Pick Up Litter This Mandela Day
Help to keep Mother Earth clean! Spending your Mandela Day picking up litter in your community will protect the environment. It is easy to do on your own and will cost you nothing but your time.
10. Sponsor A Teacher’s Training
Why not empower a teacher working at one of GROW Educare Centres? In helping them gain access to quality education, training and sustainable income, they can run an excellent EduCare centre and offer the children a 5-star early education. Now that’s one way to A B ‘see’ the power of education in action.
11. Log In To Backabuddy.co.za And Help Out
Sign in to the backabuddy.co.za website and scroll through all the causes that need your help, whether by donation or time. When you find one that captured your attention and touched your heart, you can donate. Or start your own drive for a charity close to your heart.
12. Donate The Points You’ve Earned From Loyalty Programmes
Did you know that most loyalty programmes allow you to donate your points and rewards to a vetted charity? Score some points on the caring scale and donate your loyalty points to a charity or person in need.
13. Bless A Baby
Search your cupboards for your children’s baby clothes, knit or crochet adorable baby booties or put together a package of important baby items (toothbrushes, baby blankets and nappies). Bless a Baby in Durbanville has heaps of ways you can help out during the week. You can help them address the needs of new mothers and babies by donating 67 essential items, like disposable nappies, soap bars and receiving blankets, to name a few. You can make a financial monthly or yearly donation to Bless a Baby via Payfast or volunteer your time in sorting out donations or packing baby bags.
14. Santa Shoebox Project
Support the Santa Shoebox Project by purchasing a Personalised Virtual Santa Shoebox. Every Santa Shoebox is required to contain eight specified items, chosen with the underprivileged child at heart. These items are a toothbrush, toothpaste, facecloth, soap, sweets, school supplies, a toy and an outfit of clothing – all new, unused and age-appropriate.
You can also volunteer to pack the shoeboxes or take part in other initiatives by the charity.
15. Contemplate How You Can Be The Change
The Bhambayi Project is on a mission to rewrite the future of South Africa’s youth. Themed around ‘restoring hope, restoring lives’, the non-profit organisation calls on citizens to see people’s value through Mandela’s lens. This entails seeing the true worth of everyone, spending 67 minutes on a Worth Reflection exercise, and forwarding their video to 67 friends to share the challenge of seeing equal worth in others. Therefore, the Bhambayi Project asks people to spend 67 minutes contemplating how they can be the change – by measuring their own self-esteem and that of friends, family, and strangers.
16. Help Out Some Animals In Need
This Mandela Day go to your nearest animal shelter and help with cleaning kennels, walking the dogs and feeding the cats. The pups and kitties at the SPCA, and organisations like CLAW will love having some playtime. Maybe one will steal your heart and you can adopt them. You could also donate blankets and supplies like food. Helping those who have no voice is a ‘paw’-some thing to do.
17. Register As An Organ Donor
One organ donor can save up to 7 lives and transform over 50 lives. Organ and tissue donation is a simple choice that will cost you nothing but a few minutes of your time to register at Organ Donor Foundation. It is an opportunity to literally give your heart to those who need it.
18. Donate Your Hair
‘Hair’s’ a way you can make a difference in someone’s life this Mandela Day, donating your hair or paying for a wig for a cancer patient in need. The good people at CANSA.org have a team of skilled wig-makers who will turn your 25cm long ponytail into a gorgeous and snazzy wig for a cancer patient to rock with confidence.
19. Donate To Gift Of The Givers
The Gift of the Givers Foundation is the largest disaster response, non-governmental organisation of African origin on the African continent. Since its inception in 1992, the organisation has been responsible for the delivery of life-saving goods and on-the-ground support for innumerable people, collectively valued at some R4.5 billion, in more than 45 countries across the globe, including South Africa.
Gift of the Givers restores the hope and dignity of the most vulnerable in their time of need, rebuilding prosperous communities and empowering leaders of tomorrow.
20. Support A Local Restaurant Or Small Business
The global Covid-19 lockdown and rolling blackouts due to loadshedding have affected many restaurants, coffee shops, and small businesses. If you can, order from your favourite local business to show your support. Sharing their page on your social media, giving good reviews and recommending them to other friends and family is also a small act that can make a big difference. Support local, shop local.
Find A Charity Organisation Near You
Mandela Day is all about giving back. These are just some ideas that inspired us here at NetFlorist. What organisations are in your community? You can find an extensive list of charities in need of assistance here.
