Mandela Day marks acts of kindness and community outreaches
Nelson Mandela said, “There can be no greater gift than giving one's time and energy to helping others, without expecting anything in return.”
With this quote in mind, several organisations did their bit for Mandela Day, celebrated each year on July 18 through various acts of kindness and community outreach projects.
Leratong Community Health Projects, an organisation based in Jameson Park, celebrated Mandela Day by visiting the elderly at Ratanda Old Age Home.
Zandile Mokoena from Leratong Community Health Projects said their organisation loves and appreciates the elderly and wants to care for them as respected community members.
“It is the small acts of kindness that mean a lot to the elderly,” she said.
For their bit on Mandela Day, they cleaned the yard at Ratanda Old Age Home and sat down with some residents – just to talk and find out how they are doing, how many children they have, where they come from and what they like or dislike. They also treated some of the elderly with a hand or foot massage.
“It was such a great feeling to see the smiles on their faces,” Mokoena said.
Madiba magic continued in Duduza as another community organisation, NN Community Projects, delivered two boxes of sanitary towels to the girls of NN Ndebele Secondary School. Former learners of the school, who wanted to plough back to the school where they were once learners, formed this organisation.
The chairperson of NN Community Projects Katiso Rantlha said the organisation was inspired and are by following what the late Mandela said in one of his speeches: “We all need to carry on with his legacy by reaching out to our most dire people”, and in this instance, the children who need to be nurtured, guided and supported in all that we can for their better future.”
The former learners of the school under the registered NPO, NN Community Projects, donated sanitary towels to at least 10 needy girls as a gesture of recognising the ‘ubuntu’ spirit of Mandela Day.
