Nelson Mandela had three rules which he used to guide his actions: (1) free yourself; (2) free others; and (3) serve every day. Known as a leader who served others, he strongly believed that “what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
Motivated by these principles, Nelson Mandela made a call in 2008 for the next generation to take on responsibility of dealing with social injustices – “it is in your hands now”, he said. In 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 18 July to be Nelson Mandela International Day. This day isn’t merely a day on which to celebrate Nelson Mandela – rather, it is a day on which his love for our country should inspire us to serve others.
Would you like to make a difference this Mandela Day? The Nelson Mandela Foundation believes that “Mandela Day actions, no matter how big or small, should consistently focus on the realisation or restoration of dignity and empowerment through contributions”. Accordingly, the Nelson Mandela Foundation has chosen to focus their efforts in the following areas: (1) education and literacy; (2) food security; (3) shelter and infrastructure; and (4) service and volunteerism. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of ways in which you can help.
How you could serve on Mandela day:
- Donate R67. If you’d like to serve but don’t have the time, you can choose a non-profit organisation (click here) already making a difference in the lives of others and enable them to continue their good work by donating.
- Volunteer. We’ve asked some of the non-profit organisations partnering with Different.org for suggestions on how you could help them.
Mould Empower Serve (MES)
MES is an organisation that aims to holistically empower people to live independent, sustainable and meaningful lives. MES runs programmes serving various age groups and has the following opportunities available:
If you want to help, contact leona@mes.org.za for more information.
Refilwe Community Project
Refilwe Community Project seeks to provide the best possible care to children in order to break the cycle of poverty and to empower the parents and individuals to become sustainable: spiritually, socially, emotionally and materially.
If you want to help, contact donorrelations@refilwe.org for more information.
Wildlands Conservation Trust
Wildlands’ work is structured around a set of activities that combine to form a holistic approach to creating sustainable communities. Here are some of the ways that you can get involved:
- “Tree for Life” and “Recycling for Life” projects see community members across the country collect recyclable waste and grow indigenous trees which they then barter with Wildlands for livelihood goods, becoming Tree-preneurs and Waste-preneurs.
- “Clothes for Life” project involves Clothes-preneurs; Clothes-preneurs as opposed to Tree- and Waste-preneurs are individuals in disadvantaged communities who barter or sell second-hand clothing which Wildlands collects from the public, organisations and schools.
If you want to help, contact SiphindileM@wildlands.co.za or LindokuhleH@wildlands.co.za for more information.
We hope that we have inspired you to make serving others a way of life.
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