How You Can Celebrate Humanity on Nelson Mandela Day

Since 2010, every year on the 18th of July, people across the world are tasked with contributing to charity in an effort to celebrate humanity in the name of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela Day was established to honour Madiba’s 67 years of public service on his birthday and is an international call out for people to celebrate by engaging in acts of charity and humanity for at least 67 minutes. Today we will look at how Nelson Mandela Day came to be, and the ways in which you can celebrate humanity on Nelson Mandela Day 2018.

A Brief History of Nelson Mandela Day

Nelson Mandela inspired the idea of a humanitarian day at his 90th birthday celebrations in London’s Hyde Park back in 2008 when he said, “It is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now.”

The United Nations decided to establish the 18th of July – Mandela’s birthday – as Nelson Mandela International Day as a recognition of Mandela’s values and dedication to servicing humanity. The Day is an acknowledgement of his contribution to the struggle for democracy, as well as a promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.

Ways You Can Celebrate Humanity for 67 Minutes

The idea that Nelson Mandela Day is founded on is that each one of us, through small gestures of kindness and humanity, can change the world. In Madiba’s own words, he would be “honoured if such a day can serve to bring together people around the world to fight poverty and promote peace and reconciliation”.

Here are some ways you can get involved and celebrate humanity:

Donate Food and Time with FoodForward SA and Pick n Pay:
FoodForward SA and Pick n Pay have partnered up with the aim of collecting one million meals in July 2018 to distribute to beneficiary organisations around the country. The national food drive will help to stock up FoodForward SA’s warehouses and subsequently bring warm meals to the two hundred and fifty thousand people that they and their beneficiaries feed every single day.

You can volunteer or donate at any Pick n Pay store in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Rustenberg or Bloemfontein from the 13th to 15th July 2018. Shoppers will be offered branded shopping bags to purchase select non-perishable foods to donate afterwards. Volunteers can assist in handing out branded shopping bags and encouraging others to participate.

You can find out more about the FoodForward SA and Pick n Pay efforts at this link.

Donate Unwanted Goods to Kloof and Highway SPCA:

For the months of June and July 2018, the Kloof and Highway SPCA encourages donors to donate their unwanted goods to the SPCA and you could win a great lucky draw prize as well.

Firstly, collect your unwanted items such as linen, curtains, kitchenware, appliances, ornaments, books, toys and absolutely anything in between that is in good condition and can be resold.

Secondly, drop off your donation at one of the SPCA’s donation points below:

• Kloof and Highway SPCA, 29 Village Road, Kloof.
• SPCA Thrift Shop at Maytime Centrea, Kloof.
• SPCA Thrift Shop at Elangeni Centre, Hillcrest.
• SPCA Thrift Shop at Uniland Centre, Pinetown.
• Contact 0317641212/3 or marketing2@kloofspca.co.za for collection arrangements

Thirdly, fill out an SPCA donation form as your entry for the lucky draw.

Find out more about the SPCA goods drive here.

Donate Funds, Time and Effort at the KZN Children’s Hospital:

The KZN Children’s Hospital is wanting to build a beautiful Rainbow Tower, and you can help in so many ways. Consider buying a brick for R100 either on the day or online, and contributing your 67 minutes of humanity to brightening a child’s day, or hospital conditions.

Several Nelson Mandela Day activities will be held at the Hospital, including but not limited to: #BuyABrick Campaign, various artwork stations, guided walking tours, cleaning of windows, garden maintenance, colouring in activities and much more.

Head down to the KZN Children’s Hospital on Prince Street, South Beach on the 18^th of July 2018 between 9am and 4pm to contribute to a better future for our children. You can check out more information at the KZN Children’s Hospital Facebook event page.

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