Text: Lesley Stones
Images © iStockphoto.com
Few countries can boast an annual day when every citizen tries to do something good for others.
We have achieved that in South Africa thanks to Nelson Mandela, who inspired the annual campaign in his honour that encourages people to devote 67 minutes of their time to charity on 18th July, the date of his birthday.
Mandela is best remembered for his calm leadership that steered the peaceful transition from Apartheid to democracy. His spirit of reconciliation was matched by his dedication to helping others, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation was created to keep that spirit alive and to help it grow.
There is no shortage of charities and philanthropic organisations that help people in a world where so many still need help. But only the Nelson Mandela Foundation and its “67 minutes for Mandela” campaign manages to unite a whole country into doing what they can to maintain Madiba’s legacy. The target of 67 minutes honours the fact that Mandela (officially) spent 67 years serving his country.
The day is a call for individuals everywhere to take responsibility for changing the world for the better, one small step at a time. “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it,” as the great man said.
The Foundation was established as a base for Mandela’s charitable work soon after he became South Africa’s first democratically elected President on 9th May 1994. Its projects are wide-ranging, and include building schools, conducting HIV/AIDS work, and initiating peace and reconciliation interventions.Many great things are achieved each year in recognition of Mandela’s commitment to a life spent serving others.
On an individual scale, millions of people do something big or small that makes a positive difference to others. On a larger scale, one campaign strives to deliver more Mandela Day container libraries to rural schools each year. The libraries contain 15 tablet computers loaded with e-books and Internet access for use by the pupils and their teachers. It also serves adults in the community who come to the school for after-hours adult education to increase their chances of becoming economically active.
This year, Stop Hunger South Africa will stage Meals in Memory events in Johannesburg and Cape Town on Nelson Mandela Day. It hopes to rally about 4,000 volunteers to pack 670,000 meals for pre-school children by working in shifts of 67 minutes each throughout the day.
Habitat for Humanity South Africa will aim to build 67 houses in Pelican Park in the Western Cape during the week leading up to Mandela Day. On 18th July the volunteers will work with community members around the clock in a 24-hour “blitz build” in an effort to exceed the target. The houses will be handed over to the beneficiaries at a closing ceremony, where the volunteers will see what a significant difference they have made to people’s lives.
“The day is about South Africans coming together, taking action, and in the process bringing to life Nelson Mandela’s legacy in his values, vision and leadership and responding to his call to work together to build the country of our dreams,” says Adrienne Burke, Habitat for Humanity’s Marketing Manager.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation says that to ensure their actions have a lasting effect, people should strive to leave behind not just physical changes, but also a sense of empowerment by helping to build pride among communities, so that they can take charge of their own destinies and change their circumstances.
<Sidebar> Caring for the Kids
Nelson Mandela has given his name to two organisations that work to improve the lives of the youth. The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation offers bursaries to young Africans who display academic prowess and leadership potential. The scheme funds their chosen post-graduate degree and gives them access to leadership development programmes. About 200 scholarships have been awarded since it was launched in 2005.
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund strives to change the way society treats its children and youth, based on the belief that all children should be free from hunger, abuse, exploitation and homelessness, and that all children should have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Mandela established the fund in 1995 and it initially operated as a grant-making body. But they soon realised that this handout approach was unsustainable, as it did not encourage community involvement. It is now a development agency that works to change how society treats its children and youth in order to improve their lives.
One ambitious project is to build a 200-bed Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Johannesburg to achieve the goal that Mandela expressed at its launch: to be a “credible demonstration of the commitment of African leaders to place the rights of children at the forefront”.
The organisation has raised R570 million towards the hospital, with the ground-breaking ceremony held in March this year and the facilities due to open in early 2016.
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