LOCAL businesses, schools and NPOs commemorated Nelson Mandela Day last Thursday by working on various projects in the community.
They supported underprivileged children, did work at local hospitals and children’s homes and treated children to a fun day out.
Read on to find out how these organisations spent their 67 minutes.
Knitters give back
Knitters, Maureen Cooper, Vida Booysen, Snoeks Desmond, Rhona Brown and (front) Jenny Forster from Beanies and Blankets for Babies, seen with Sister Shezi, made a Mandela Day delivery to 71 newborn babies and their moms at King Dinuzulu Hospital.
The group does a delivery every week but last week they made sure every baby received a blanket, jersey and beanie, and every mom received toiletries and a muffin.
Amazing race a hit
ON Tuesday, 16 July, Durban Child and Youth Care Centre hosted its own corporate Amazing Race challenge as part of its Mandela Week programme.
The aim of the event was to direct corporates to assist the organisation with some maintenance projects and also raise some funds.
Ten corporate teams of four participants enjoyed a day of eight fun teambuilding activities and low impact maintenance projects such as gardening and painting.
The event was facilitated on the organisation’s behalf by the Beach and Bush Teambuilding company as part of its CSI initiative.
Tasks were completed in a rotation format and teams were judged on their thoroughness of completing the projects. The top three winning teams were Pro Print, Astron Energy and EBM-PAPST.
“Collectively all 10 teams that participated helped us give three of our cottages a facelift, developed 10 mini gardens with creative settings, painted 40 bright and colourful tyres for our obstacle course barrier and through the entry fees helped us raise some much needed funds for our care programmes. This event was a success only through the amazing support and charitable spirit of all our participants and sponsors for the day,” said Mandy Goble from Durban Child and Youth Care Centre.
School fees sponsored on Mandela Day
IN recognition of Mandela Day, the Musgrave Centre team together with representatives from Pick n Pay spent time at Clayton Primary School in Asherville.
The team donated snack packs to all 562 learners at the school, and sponsored five learners’ entire year’s school fees for 2020. Grateful learners were Sugen Vythalingum, Fathima Bibi, Thobile Mqadi, Micayala George, and Leah Padayachee.
In addition to the handover, the team had loads of fun entertaining the little ones featuring a DJ, a magician and a host of competitions for the children to participate in and win some great prizes.
Law team spruces up children’s ward
IN celebration of Mandela Day and in honour of Madiba’s affinity for children, Schwenn Inc. decorated and installed murals in the children’s ward at McCord Hospital and painted one of the external walls.
The team also donated a new flat screen television, DVD player, multiple DVDs, colouring-in books and crayons for the children to enjoy. Director Charmaine Schwenn, who is a board member for McCord Hospital, said her team was delighted to have been able to assist.
“McCord Hospital is close to our hearts and we are incredibly proud to have been able to give back and make a difference to the young patients who spend days and sometimes weeks confined to a hospital bed receiving treatment,” said Charmaine.
Company commemorates Madiba’s birthday
GETTING into the spirit of Mandela Day 2019 #ActionAgainstPoverty, staff from LexisNexis South Africa put their hands to a variety of different projects in honour of Nelson Mandela’s birthday.
“Giving back is not something we do only once a year. Traditionally we undertake our RE Cares Month in October, as part of our global community outreach programme, but being a part of Mandela Day is very meaningful for us,” said Billy Last, CEO of LexisNexis South Africa.
Head office staff in Morningside partnered with Bhambayi Project and spent their morning making sandwiches before spending time interacting with the children at the creche. Financial assistance has been pledged to assist the project with the building of a structure to house their school leavers and young children.
DPHS gives back
To commemorate Mandela Day this year, Durban Preparatory High School boys gave 67 minutes of their day for others.
The Grade Rs iced cupcakes for The Domino Foundation and the Grade 2s had fun making sandwiches for an Urban Outreach Programme. The DPHS staff were also involved and knitted blankets for the Bill Buchanan Association.
Seen here is Grade R pupil, Yusuf Yacoob, with his South African flag and the national flower, a Protea.
Environmental awareness on Mandela Day
A Global Organisation 4 Brighter Youth (GOBY) Environmental Project was launched on Durban’s New Beach on Mandela Day, 18 July.
GOBY hosted 500 boys and girls from disadvantaged communities at New Beach on the day. The children participated in beach cricket, beach soccer and beach volleyball with equipment made from re-purposed plastic.
One of the highlights of the day was a visit from Sarah Ferguson, the South African endurance swimmer who set a new world record for becoming the first person to swim around the entire perimeter of Easter Island in Polynesia.
Sarah is an ambassador for GOBY and the plight against ocean plastic. Dolphins players, Cody Chetty, SJ Erwee and Smanga Nhlebbela also took part on the day and enjoyed taking part in activities with the children.
Books donated by Rotary
Rotary E-Club of South Africa 1 donated books to the Ekuthuleni Primary School in Ntuzuma on Mandela Day.
Seen at the event are Monique Labat, Rotary Club President, Sambulo Khalala, school principal, Rotarian, Irene Kotze, Club Secretary, Andisha Maharaj, Rotarian, Pree Parumaul, and Dudu Thusi, teacher librarian.
Police give time to children
As part of the Nelson Mandela day celebrations, Umbilo SAPS officers spent their 67 minutes at Dalton Hostel, in conjunction with the Musgrave Library.
The police and library staff taught children how to read and write through fun and games. Police officers also taught the children safety tips.
The children enjoyed colouring in pictures of Nelson Mandela.
Shoes for the needy
Learners from Livingstone Primary School collected 1 900 pairs of shoes which were donated to Phoenix Child Welfare on Mandela Day.
DUT mentors spend their 67 minutes at schools
THE Durban University of Technology (DUT) Schools’ Engagement Programme mentors from various faculties visited numerous schools in and around Durban, devoting their 67 minutes of their time to helping others as a way to celebrate the birthday of the iconic Nelson Mandela on 18 July.
Philile Ngcobo from the Horticulture department, a member of the DUT mentor team, along with Sastri College pupils from Grade 10 to matric, helped in creating a Nelson Mandela peace garden in a simple, secluded nook of the school.
Another project which took place at the school was the establishment of the Social Entrepreneurship Club, one of the many that have been created by DUT’s International Centre of Non-violence (ICON) in different high schools around Durban in a bid to groom future leaders and change makers.
DUT mentor Raymond Padya, who forms part of the Sastri Enterprise Club, said the club seeks to achieve social value and social change by initiating different fundraising projects that would in-turn generate funds.
“The proceeds from these fundraising activities will be used to build a museum to preserve the history of their high school and assist two orphanages around Durban. Sastri College is a school with a rich history and has produced notable leaders in Durban and South Africa. The club discovered that there was a crucial need to document and archive the historical and present achievements at the school thus a Documents Centre was proposed.”
Overport Secondary High School was also a hive of activity as DUT students and pupils volunteered to clean up the storeroom and school grounds, and assist in making the school environment cleaner for both teaching and learning.
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