We can think of no better to celebrate Madiba’s 95th birthday than by giving 67 minutes of our time to help others. It’s a small privilege for the 67 years that Nelson Mandela spent fighting for social justice and human rights in South Africa.

CEO of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, Sello Hatang, explains: “The important thing is that Mandela Day is not about money but about giving your time. It’s about doing what you can to make a difference. The test of a legacy is whether the legacy’s impact can continue long after the person who left it can no longer initiate it. It’s up to South Africans to keep it going.”

We found 67 ways to give back on Mandela Day, so have a look and see what’s happening in your province! You can share your ideas in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter using the hash tag #67minutes.

Across South Africa

  1. Cotlands are looking for 1 million compassionate individuals to donate R67, one of 67 toys, or spend 67 minutes making toys from recycled material.
  2. Give a donation to the Association for the Physically Disabled.
  3. Volunteer your time, sponsor a guide dog, or pay for puppy training with South African Guide-Dogs.
  4. Donate blood – especially if you are group O. If you are 16 or over and weigh more than 50kg, go to SANBS or sms your name and postal code to 31454 to find your closest blood bank.
  5. Make sandwiches or buy a bag of fruit and hand them out to underprivileged people. You can even do this while driving around.
  6. Organise a neighbour gardening project in your community park.

Bay Primary planting community garden

  1. Alleviate road rage by getting a bunch of friends together at an intersection to smile, wave, and greet drivers.
  2. Take scrapbooking supplies and scraps of fabric to a retirement home for hobbies and crafts.
  3. Volunteer your time, or drop off pet food or a blanket at your local SPCA.
  4. Start recycling.
  5. Have a garage sale for charity.
  6. Register online with Back a Buddy and start raising money for your favourite charity.
  7. Qhubeka helps rural communities by giving bicycles to children in return for work done to improve their environment and their community. Find out how you can get involved with one of their projects.

Eastern Cape

  1. Take part in the Trading Live initiative in Grahamstown on 26 July
  2. Help Tiger Brands distribute food parcels to non-fee paying schools in Alexandra
  3. Have a play date at Hannah’s Arms, who ensure that abandoned, orphaned, neglected, or abused babies are cared for.
  4. Drive, fly or climb to support the Trek4Mandela Campaign
  5. Help Lemon3Lodge in Kirkwood support their township projects, including the Machaba soup kitchen and a 65 year old foster mother.

Machaba Soup Kitchen 1

Free State

  1. Help manufacture natural bricks for the building of an arts and cultural hub at Lebone Village
  2. Join the mass ride for ‘No Student Hungry’ at the University of the Free State.
  3. Participate in the Reading for Enjoyment session at Monyatsi Primary School.

Gauteng

  1. Donate your time and effort at the Orlando Children’s Home in Soweto
  2. Run the Eco Ridge Trail with St Andrew’s School for Girls
  3. Take part in the recycling and street cleaning project in Mayfair West
  4. Help out and make someone smile at Johannesburg Hospital School
  5. Help The Tomorrow Trust educate the children of tomorrow by making a donation or supporting a child

Ditshego Preschool

  1. Volunteer at the Princess Alice Adoption Home on 20 July. They are also looking for donations of old clothes, toys, and any baby or toddler necessities.
  2. Help the Malvern Civic Organisation to clean the streets, paint walls and install windows
  3. Donate soccer equipment to Boots for Dreams.
  4. Support Impilo Child Protection and Adoption Services with their fund raising initiatives and help fill their home with love and laughter.
  5. Join the Freedom Ride on 20 July and celebrate the legacy on Mandela
  6. Help Isa Carstens Academy donate blankets to the Pediatric Oncology Ward at Steve Biko Hospital on 22 July.
  7. Make a difference with A Random Act of Love by supporting those in need
  8. Walk with the J9 Foundation for MND Awareness

KwaZulu-Natal

  1. Help KZN officials paint Ngilosi Primary School
  2. Help out at the KZN Children’s Hospital 
  3. Pledge school shoes for the Lotus FM Warm Hearts Campaign
  4. Run The Mandela Day Marathon on 30 and 31 August 2014.
  5. Give a donation to Network Configurations and support the Sinakekele Orphanage in Verulam.
  6. Read, play, and share stories with the children of Majomela crèche in Nongoma.
  7. Spoil the Mansel Market sellers’ children with a birthday party.

Kids at Ditshego

Limpopo

  1. Get duct-taped! A fun initiative to raise funds for the Early Childhood Development Centres in Venda.
  2. Help rural children bridge the digital divide with the Computers for Library Projects.
  3. Promote IkhweZi Youth Foundation on your Facebook page and support over 800 organisations listed with them
  4. Find out what you can do to help the underprivileged children at Mogoshi Primary School in Ga-Matlala, Limpopo.
  5. Bring lunch for the kids at  Rasema Secondary School

Northern Cape

  1. Donate much needed materials to the Boitumelo Special School for the mentally impaired in Kimberley.

North West

  1. Help with maintenance work and collecting items for the Tapologo Children’s Day Care Centre in Freedom Park.
  2. Collect food and blankets for the elderly in Lichtenburg.
  3. Help The Students Anti-Pollution Society is launching with their cleaning campaign
  4. Help paint classrooms and clean the surroundings at Ikgomotseng Public School in Schweizer Reneke.

Mpumalanga

  1. Help the Thembekile Mandela Foundation distribute sanitary wear to 286 girls at Khamane High School 
  2. Get involved with Teach Children to Save South Africa.
  3. Donate items for the 67 Minutes Charity Tea Party for Kids in Middleburg.
  4. Help establish a school library by donating books to Nhlazatshe Primary School in Nhlazatshe.
  5. Join the Shabalala Trust in Hazyview on 21 July as they collect blankets for children in need and clean the houses of elderly people.

donate blankets by vastateparksstaff (flickr)

Western Cape

  1. Help the Tippy Toes Foundation feed 300 families with homemade soup for a week.
  2. Donate educational materials to Breadline Africa at the V&A Waterfront
  3. Volunteer your time for the Operation Smile awareness campaign at local malls
  4. Collect clothes and blankets for the Jan Danckaert Museum’s cloth-in-the-cold campaign
  5. Volunteer for one of many projects at Common Good.
  6. Drop off books for Prestwich Primary School at the Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village in Green Point
  7. Braveheartz Motorcycle Club in Cape Town will embark on a mass ride on 20 July to donate food parcels, stationery, and clothes to 3 charities.
  8. Can you walk/run 9.5km in 67 minutes? Proceeds from the “Endorphins for Orphans” event on 20 July will go towards extreme makeovers of orphanages and educare centers by Newkidz on the Block
  9. Donate your time at the Athlone School for the Blind
  10. Help Stop Hunger Now SA package meals for children at Canal Walk Shopping Centre
  11. Volunteer at the Domestic Animal Rescue Group (DARG) in Hout Bay

What are you doing for Mandela Day?

 

Feature image found on G3ar website

Image of blankets by vastateparksstaff