10 things to do this Nelson Mandela Day

Every year, on the anniversary of Madiba’s birthday, South Africans come together as a global community to commemorate and honour his legacy by doing work to better our communities and neighbourhoods.

Here’s a helpful list of 10 things you can do this Mandela Day to honour a beloved icon, Nelson Mandela on 18 July.

Volunteering, collaborating and coming together:

1. Take part in a street clean-up in your neighbourhood. Cleaning the environment benefits the entire community in different ways. It provides a sense of dignity and safety.

2. Spend time with the children or elderly people at an orphanage or old age home. Your presence playing games, reading to them, or just having a conversation could brighten their day. This is about remembering everybody in your community, and reminding marginalised people that they belong.

3. Collaborate with a school to paint the walls. Many schools in South Africa are in a poor state and students have to learn in uninspiring, undignifying environments. Painting the walls is a great way of contributing the the student’s success.

4. Collect sanitary towels for disadvantaged women and girls in your community. You can even just join a sanitary towel drive through your local Dis-Chem.

Donate, give and share:

5. Donate food to homeless people. The homeless crisis in South Africa is worrying, keeping homeless people fed gives them a chance to escape their situation.

6. Give old bedding, clothes and toys to an orphanage. Many orphanages are underfunded and are in dire need of resources. Donating resources could meaningfully contribute to the well-being of the people staying there.

7. Plant a community garden with your neighbours, or donate trees to a needy area. Having access to good food and clean air significantly improves the lives of people living in your community.

Other kinds of support

8. Spread awareness of the campaign by boosting posts online through engagement. Use the hashtags, share people’s work, and be a cheerleader, even if you can’t contribute yourself.

9. Come to the Mandela Day Walk and Run on July 20 at the Wanderers Stadium with your family. Being a part of community activity is an excellent way of honouring the values that Tata Madiba stood for – ubuntu, community, and giving back.

10. Help fund social justice organisations. NGOs in South Africa are severely underfunded and the work they do for people in South Africa is life-changing. Consider donating funds to your favourite NGO.

Whatever you do this Mandela Day, whether you contribute to your community with your friends, through an office campaign, or just on your own, remember that serving your community is about serving people, not yourself. So be unselfish and go out and make a difference.

It’s still in your hands.

Visit mandeladay.org to register your activity.