10 ideas for Mandela Day
Stuck for ideas on what to do on Mandela Day? Here is some inspiration on how to spend your 67 minutes.
Ideally, 50-million South Africans will spend 67 minutes on Thursday (or during the weekend, if you're working), to do something unselfish this Mandela Day.
If your enthusiasm - however - has been dampened somewhat by the burning question of what to do, here are some clues of what others are doing to hopefully get you inspired.
Mandela Day is an international initiative started by the United Nations in 2009 to honour our former president's spirit of self-sacrifice.
The official Mandela Day 2013 activities list is a long one, with groups all over the world planning everything from concerts to litter pick-ups.
If you're keen on rolling up your sleeves to do your bit for 67 minutes this Mandela Day, but aren't quite sure what to do, here are some ideas from the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Click here for their full list of 67 ideas.
1. Read to someone who can’t. Visit a local home for the blind and open up a new world for someone else.
2. Fix the potholes in your street or suburb.
3. Help out at the local animal shelter. Dogs without homes still need a walk and a bit of love.
4. Find out from your local library if it has a story hour and offer to read during it.
5. Offer to take an elderly neighbour who can’t drive to do their shopping/chores.
6. Organise a litter cleanup day in your area.
7. To the poorest of the poor, shoes can be a luxury. Don’t hoard them if you don’t wear them. Pass them on!
8. Buy a few blankets, or grab the ones you no longer need from home and give them to someone in need.
9. Put together food parcels for a needy family.
10. Donate your skills
Here in KZN the province's first children's hospital, which is currently under construction, is asking people to use their 67 minutes gathering toys for children at the new facility. You can drop them off at the KZN Children's hospital (next to Addington Hospital) on Thursday.
If you've got special plans for your 67 minutes that you want to tell the East Coast about, drop us a mail at [email protected], with the subject "Mandela Day" so we can add your ideas to the list. We'd also love to see your photos from your 67 minutes. Email them to us here.
- Thrishni Subramoney