Ideas on how to spend 67 minutes minutes of your time this Mandela Day

The message behind Mandela Day is simple – each individual has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better. The former president’s birthday used to be on 18 July and the call is out for people everywhere to celebrate his birthday by acting on the idea that each person has the power to change the world.
The idea of Mandela Day was inspired by the late Madiba at his 90th birthday celebration in London’s Hyde Park in 2008 when he said:

“It is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now.”

Every year on Mandela Day, people around the world are asked by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to devote 67 minutes of their time (one minute for every year of Mandela’s public service).

People can make a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good.
If each one of us heeded the call to simply do good every day, we would be living Nelson Mandela’s legacy and helping to build a country of our dreams. Now, it is in our hands to make a positive difference.

There are endless ideas of how and where to spend your 67 minutes for Mandela Day:
If you’re eager to help but not sure where to start, here are a few ideas of how you can spend your 67 minutes this Mandela Day:
* donate blood, especially if you are group O, as the blood bank is dangerously short of blood at this time. If you are over 16 and weigh more than 50kg, sms your name and postal code to 31454 to get details on your closest blood bank;
* fish out old toys, clothes, prams, cots and other baby items and donate them to an infant home.
* the SPCA welcomes volunteers and is always in need of help, whether with kennel duties or administration skills
* make a point of meeting all your neighbours and set up a “whatsapp” group so you can report suspicious activity directly to each other and keep the community safer;
* set up a community garden in your neighbourhood where residents can share the water and weeding
* donate old magazines, balls of wool, scrapbooking supplies and craft material to an old age home
* sign up as an organ donor. Your body can save up to seven lives and many more with tissues like heart valves.