Get involved this Mandela Day

21+ ways you can contribute 67 minutes of your time towards the global movement for good

On Mandela Day (18 July), people around the world are encouraged to spend at least 67 minutes doing something positive for their communities in honour of the 67 years that the late South African president Nelson Mandela spent fighting for social justice and a free, democratic country.

The unofficial international day of philanthropy was inspired by Mandela’s speech on 27 June 2008 (his 90th birthday celebration) in London’s Hyde Park. In his address, Madiba called on leaders of all nations to help change the world for the better. “It’s in your hands now,” he urged.

Celebrated each year on the late statesman’s birthday, International Nelson Mandela Day aims to inspire a ripple of good deeds throughout the world and looks to encourage individuals, communities, governments and non-profit organisations to take one small step towards the larger leap of making a positive imprint.

This is the third Mandela Day since the global icon passed, and since he’s no longer around to anchor the occasion, it’s more important than ever to uphold the values for which he struggled and to share his message for peace and humanity with future generations.

Take a look at how you can get involved with Mandela Day in Cape Town this year with our handy guide to ways to make a difference for 67 minutes (and beyond).

IDEAS FOR MANDELA DAY 2016

Help Create and Fill Care Packages with the Rape Crisis Trust
This Mandela Day, you can join the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust, a  South African organisation that supports the recovery of rape survivors and seeks to bring about change in communities, to help create care packages for survivors. Those eager to participate are encouraged to bring along items like underwear (any size for both children and adults; male and female), toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner, soap, body wash, face cloths, sanitary pads (not tampons) and nappies to fill the special care packs (please only donate new items). Volunteers will decorate and fill the care packages at the Observatory Community Centre on Saturday, 16 July, and anyone is welcome to pop in any time between 11am and 3pm to assist. Those not able to attend on Mandela Day are more than welcome to still donate items (or cash) before the time – contact Shahida Rahman on +27 (0) 21 447 1467 to arrange delivery.
Observatory Community Centre |Observatory | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 447 1467.

LISTEN TO VUSI MAHLASELA LIVE AT THE CAPE TOWN CLUB
‘The Voice’ will be performing his legendary list of hits live at the Cape Town Club on Mandela Day in association with Hi-Tec’s The Carrick Collection. Having performed at Mandela’s inauguration in 1994 and his 90th birthday bash in 2008, Mahlasela is one of our country’s most celebrated singer-songwriters with phenomenal vocals and beats to boot. He’ll be backed by great local acts in the upmarket, historical ambiance of one of our city’s oldest establishments. Proceeds from the event go to charity, so it’s the ideal way to spend your 67 minutes in style! Tickets are available from Webtickets.co.za for R200p/p. Proceeds from the event go to The Vusi Mahlasela Foundation and The Casterbridge Music Development Academy. Space is limited so be sure to book quickly. 

18 Queen Victoria Street | CBD | +27(0)21 424 5586

Take Part in a Cape Town Beach Cleanup and Fill a DOT Box
NPO CleanC, who goes all out to ensure that the Mother City’s beaches are kept beautiful and clean, is running an array of exciting events for those wanting to make a difference this Mandela Day. Philanthropists can take part in their Mandela Day Full Moon Beach Walk (starting at 6:30pm) on Monday, 18 July at Big Bay. Bring your kids and your dogs along for this easy, hour-long stroll on the beach. There is no entry fee for this event but it will be appreciated if you could bring along a bar of soap, facecloth, toothpaste, toothbrush, a box of crayons or a colouring in or reading book as a donation towards filling up a DOT (Do One Thing) Box, which will be distributed to 1000 kids in Cape Town. Corporates looking to do something with their staff on Mandela Day (or any day in July or August) can partake in CleanC’s beach clean-up and help clear a stretch of sand between Lagoon Beach and Melkbosstrand (companies are asked to pay a sponsorship fee of R2000). For more information on these and other Mandela Day projects, email greg@cleanc.co.za. or phone +27 (0) 82 873 1962.

Jive and Spread Joy as Part of the Dance for Madiba Campaign
Our late Tata was known for many things, one of them being his iconic dance style, which is now named the Madiba Shuffle. And so, No Danger Diaries, a non-profit organisation that seeks to change the world in a fun-filled way, aims to keep Nelson Mandela’s memory alive by inviting Capetonians to create the world’s biggest Madiba jive tribute! Those interested can visit Madibajive.com and make a small donation to receive a 67-minute music mix. They can then upload a video of themselves doing the famous move to this backing track – the clip will be used as part of a huge global series of Madiba Shuffle videos and the money will go to the Nelson Mandela Foundation and No Danger Diaries’ causes. To take things up a notch, folk can dance in real life alongside others at various allocated dance stations around the city (the idea is to bop for 67 hours straight). For more information on how this all works and for details about the whereabouts of these stations, visit the Dance for Madiba site and Facebook page.

Make HOPE Bracelets for the Chaeli Campaign
The Chaeli Campaign, a non-profit organisation that offers support to children living with disabilities, will be at the Blue Route Mall in Tokai from 10am to 5pm for their Mandela Day Challenge. For R67, shoppers can make and purchase HOPE (Helping Other People Every Day) bracelets – all the charms, beads and twine will be provided. Volunteers will get to make two pieces of jewellery: one to keep for themselves and one to pay-it-forward to someone else who might appreciate the gesture. You could also sponsor a stationery kit to the value of R150. Email info@chaelicampaign.co.za for more information. 
16 Tokai Road | Tokai | +27 (0) 861 242 354

Help Raise Funds for the Animal Rescue Organisation 
This haven for our furry friends  is inviting the public (especially schools and organisations) to fill 67 black bags with old clothing, linen, curtains, pet accessories and other items for its Mandela Day project. Everything collected will then be sold to raise funds for the Mobile Animal Sterilisation Unit, which seeks to spay and neuter animals in rural communities. Bags can be dropped off at the organisation in Ottery anytime during the week (it is closed on weekends) for the whole month of July. The Animal Rescue Organisation aims to offer support and care to pets in Cape Town’s more impoverished areas by providing veterinary treatment at mobile clinics and by finding homes for abandoned cats, dogs, rabbits and other creatures. Email karen@animalrescue.org.za for more details.
5 Olieboom Road | Schaapkraal | Ottery | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 396 5511

Build Kennels for Pets in Khayelitsha
Join Mdzananda Animal Clinic, the only permanent veterinary service offered in Khayelitsha, for 67 minutes of reconstructing wooden pallets into dog kennels for their four-legged charges on Monday, 18 July (if you are coming as part of a corporate or workgroup) and on Saturday, 16 July (if you are coming as an individual). Volunteers are asked to donate either R67 or R167 (whichever they can afford) to cover the cost of the doggie houses and to bring a hammer, measuring tape, paint brushes and any additional materials, like wood and nails, to assist in the building. If you intend on participating, RSVP via email to marcelle@mdzananda.co.za or call +27 (0) 82 200 9962. Volunteers are also welcome to bring along books, which will be sold to raise funds for the clinic’s projects.
21297 Govan Mbeki Road | Khayelitsha |+27 (0) 82 200 9962

Join the Mandela Day Celebration with DARG
The Domestic Animal Rescue Group (DARG) is hosting a Mandela Day celebration on Saturday, 16 July in Hout Bay and invites you to join them and make a donation to the organisation or volunteer to assist them with the wonderful work they do. From 10am to 3pm, you can enjoy an auction and a garage sale while sipping on steaming coffee and tasty fare thanks to the on-site food and coffee trucks. DARG is celebrating Madiba for the whole month of July and need your help. Feel free to check out their Facebook page for the list of various items they require and make a donation. Since this is a month of charity, why not adopt a pet? DARG has plenty of cute critters looking for loving homes this winter.
Hout Bay Main Road | Hout Bay | +27 (0) 21 790 0383

Drop into the Douglas Murray Home for the Aged
Donate your time or some much-needed goods to the Douglas Murray Home, which is located in the suburb of Retreat in the Cape Flats and provides care for 80 elderly and frail men and women.  People can donate dry and perishable goods, personal products or money, and they can also spend some time with the residents. The folks at the home could also use some assistance with grooming and cleaning the residents, meal preparation and maintenance around the home and in the garden. Although walk-ins are welcome, volunteers can book for the specific time that they want to visit the home by emailing info@douglasmurray.co.za.
Gordon Searle Street | Retreat | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 712 2146

Make Bracelets and Join the Amazing Race at the V&A Waterfront
Relate Bracelets has teamed up with the V&A Waterfront this year to create a beaded portrait of Nelson Mandela using threads made up of 67 beads each. The beading will take place from Monday, 11 July to Thursday, 14 July from 10am at the Watershed. Volunteers can take part in a beading marathon on Monday, 18 July from 9am to make bracelets that will be sold to the public in order to raise money for various charities. Angel Projects has also set up an Amazing Race challenge in the Waterfront that will require teams of three people from corporate companies to shop for various charities in 67 minutes using only R167 (plus VAT). Register your company on the Angel Projects website or at the Waterfront on Monday, 18 July. For more details email events@waterfront.co.za.
V&A Waterfront | Cape Town |+27 (0) 21 408 7600

Join the Million Meal Challenge by Stop Hunger Now
Stop Hunger Now, an NGO that seeks to eradicate world hunger, is hosting Follow The Sun meal packaging events from Wednesday, 13 July to Wednesday, 20 July at GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World. This worldwide initiative aims to pack 10 million meals across the globe, with two million to be packed in South Africa. On Wednesday, 13 July, corporate teams are invited to sponsor teams of 20 volunteers and do their part in packing meals for the hungry. For more information, visit Stophungernowsa.org or email info@stophungernowsa.org. 
GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World| 1 Jakes Gerwel Drive | Goodwood | +27 (0) 21 505 7777

Christmas in July for the Friends of the Valkenberg Trust
This non-profit organisation works with staff at the Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital in Observatory to help comfort patients during their stay at the facility and support them on the road to recovery after they are discharged. The trust is hosting a Christmas in July celebration to bring some fun to the 480 patients this winter and invites you to donate Christmas trees, lights, tinsel and other decorations on Monday, 18 July. In addition, the trust is looking for volunteers to coordinate collections of several other kinds of goods, including clothing, unwanted household items and DVDs. These goods will be sold in the hospital’s second-hand shop, and profits will go toward the hospital’s efforts. So, why not ask friends and folks in your neighbourhood, office or school to do a bit of food shopping and spring cleaning and see what they have – then organise a quick excursion to deliver the items?  Go to Friendsofvalkenberg.co.za for more information and email events@friendsofvalkenberg.co.za for specifics.
Valkenberg Hospital | Observatory Road | Observatory | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 447 2092

Buy a Winter Warmer Gift for a Family in Need with Newkidz on the Block
Join NewKidz on the Block, a non-profit organisation that unites orphaned and vulnerable children with foster families and homes, and contribute to their non-perishable hampers they assemble which will be distributed to families on Mandela Day this year. NewKidz encourages volunteers to either make a personal donation or start up a collection box of non-perishable goods such as tea, coffee, sugar, tinned food, flour, peanut butter and oil as well as toiletries and cleaning materials. Once you’ve collected enough you can deliver it to Newkidz on the Block before Friday, 15 July. For more information call +27 (0) 21 981 5425 or email info@newkidz.org.za. 
D44 Icon Business Park Fourie Street | Brackenfell |+27 (0)21 981 5425

Kidz2Kidz #Read67
Kidz2Kidz, a public benefit trust that seeks to spread the central message of the ‘joy of giving’, is inviting everyone to participate in its national Mandela Day initiative of reading to children with the theme #READ67. Register as a volunteer on their website and spend the day spreading the magic of storytelling by reading to kids. To find out more, email info@kidz2kidz.co.za.
Dead Street Arcarde Dean Street | Newlands | +27 (0)76 180 4125

Serve Soup to the Homeless with Ladles of Love
Spend your 67 minutes helping Ladles of Love hand out warm soup and bread to the homeless at Mandela Rhodes Place. If you’re not able to stay and serve the soup, you could always donate money or winter clothing items to help keep the city’s homeless residents well-fed and warm. The distribution will take place at 12pm on Monday, 18 July but donations can be made at any time to the organisations bank account. Send an email to ladlesoflove@gmail.com, or phone +27 (0)73 720 8088 for more information.

Pack Meals and Hampers with FoodBank SA
FoodBank South Africa will be hosting a meal and hamper packing event for corporate volunteers at its Cape Town warehouse from 9am – 3pm on Monday, 18 July. Your team will have 67 minutes to pack as many meals as possible, in order to feed over 13.8 million South Africans. FoodBank asks that volunteers donate money toward the cost of rescuing donated food and delivering hampers rather than donating food. If you’re not able to attend the event, feel free to hold a food drive in your office or at home and drop off the collection at their warehouse. For further details, call +27 (0)21 531 5670 or email Ashleigh@foodbanksa.org.
Cape Town Market | 110 Gunners Circle | Epping 1 Cape Town | +27 (0)21 531 5670

Donate a Book to a Children’s Library
John Nicholson, a big-hearted father in the Cape Flats, has been hailed a local hero for opening a children’s library in his home in Hillview. Assisted by his son, John transformed his garage into a library that now houses over 5000 books and has become a haven for children who love reading and need a quiet place to learn. John relies on donations to keep his project going so if you’d like to donate books or money to assist in running the library contact him at +27 (0)74 695 4191 or email omegaview@yahoo.com.
Hillview | +27 (0)74 695 4191 | omegaview@yahoo.com

Attend the National Youth Orchestra’s Benefit Concert
The National Youth Orchestra will be performing a benefit concert to raise funds for the Cape Town Society for the Blind and the National Youth Orchestra’s bursary fund. Led by Polish conductor Ewa Strusinska, the orchestra will be performing Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and Benjamin Britten’s Double Concerto for Violin and Viola. The concert will take place on Sunday, 17 July at 7pm at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre Auditorium in Parow. Tickets cost R120p/p (full price) and R100p/p (concessions) and can be purchased on Tixsa.co.za.
Picton Street | Parow | +27 (0)21 939 9105

Raise Funds to Sterilise 67 Animals with the Animal Welfare Society of Stellenbosch
The Animal Welfare Society of Stellenbosch would like to prevent animals from being born on the street by sterilising 67 animals on Mandela Day. It costs R250 to sterilise an animal and they are looking to raise R16 750, so donations would be appreciated. If you aren’t able to donate money, you can donate items to their Second Hand shop or volunteer 67 minutes to walk one of the dogs that are up for adoption. For further information email Jessica@awss.co.za.
Devon Valley Road | Stellenbosch | +27 (0)21 886 4901 | Jessica@asww.co.za

Keep Children Dry this Winter with the Community Chest
The winter storms in the Mother City are becoming more harsh every year and as a result plenty of children in disadvantaged communities are forced to stay away from school because they don’t have rainproof clothing to keep them dry and warm. The Community Chest of the Western Cape has launched their Winter Readiness campaign in order to put an end to this absenteeism by providing over 2000 preschoolers with raincoats and Wellington boots this winter. The kit costs R350 per child and the organisation would like to raise R750 000 to purchase as many as possible. Make a donation to their bank account (contact the organisers for their banking details) or drop off Wellingtons, raincoats and other warm clothing at the Community Chest offices. Contact info@comchest.org.za for more info.
82 Bree Street | Cape Town CBD | +27 (0)21 424 3344 / (0)21 487 1500 | info@comchest.org.za

Donate Clothing to Butterfly Box
The Butterfly Box is looking for previously-worn clothing to sell at their pop-up store in order to raise money for the Hospice Palliative Care Association. Collect your old (undamaged) clothes from the back of your closet and donate it to the Butterfly Box or visit their store to shop for new threads and support a good cause. If you aren’t able to drop the clothes off, call Grace at +27 (0)82 425 3874 and it can be collected from your home. To make a monetary donation, sms the word ‘HOSPICE’ to 40772 (R20/sms).
349 Albert Road | Woodstock | +27 (0)82 425 3874

Help Build the Mandela Day Mosaic at Canal Walk
Canal Walk Shopping Centre is partnering with LEAP Science and Maths Schools to build a mosaic in the shape of the Mandela Day logo using 17 000 food cans – that’s 6 700kg of food! All monetary proceeds will go to the LEAP schools and the food donated will be given to LEAP schools’ community social development partners. Head down to the Canal Walk Promotions Court on Monday, 18 July between 9am to 5pm and donate one or more cans of food so that you can join the team taking part in this incredible occasion. Volunteers may participate as individuals, in groups or as part of corporate teams. There are limited spaces available so register soon to book your 67 minute slot.
Century Boulevard | Century City | +27 (0)21 529 9699/8

Donate your Time and Talent
You don’t need to be a Rockefeller to donate something valuable. Your time and talent can rival the purchasing power of cold, hard cash. So, either volunteer to help with the day-to-day tasks undertaken by local charities or offer a specialised service based on your own unique skill set: cook someone a delicious meal, design a pamphlet, offer some website tips, write a press release that could help a start-up business or visit an elderly member of your community and help them out with repairs around the house. Baffled about where to start? Take a look at our overview of charities in Cape Town.

Help the Homeless, One Sandwich at a Time
Buy a loaf of bread, a chunk of cheese and a few tomatoes and then make a couple of sandwiches and hand them out to those in need on your way to work. You could make this venture even simpler: buy a big bag of whichever fruit is in season (it’s normally cheaper, and more delicious), and do the same. Rather give food than money to those in need; though, if you would like to donate money, there are plenty of Cape Town NGOs adept at allocating funds to the proper channels.

Buy the Big Issue
Just do it; don’t pretend you have a copy stowed away somewhere in your secret garden when a vendor comes past. Forking out the cash is a small thing, but it’ll make a big difference; as the proverbial saying goes, “the change is in your pocket”. Or, for that matter, spare R2 for the folks selling the ‘Funny Money’ pamphlets – you may even get a chuckle out of it.

Say Thank You
Make someone else’s day by simply saying ‘thank you’. It can be as easy as taking a security guard a cup of coffee or helping your kids draw a thank you card for their teacher or librarian. Similarly, random acts of kindness never go unnoticed: give way to another car in traffic, offer your seat to someone when travelling on public transport, encourage a colleague at work – be kind in any way you can. These gestures may seem small, but the ripple has to start somewhere.

Go Local
Instead of employing a commercial company, support people in your community by hiring them to do jobs in your home or for your business. Additionally, consider buying foodstuffs or clothing tied to non-profit partnerships:
Earthchild Clothing: The original donors responsible for financing the Earthchild Project, a non-profit organisation focused on the holistic development of children, teachers, schools and communities, this clothing line still gives a portion of their proceeds to this innovative initiative. The garments can be found in dedicated Earthchild stores in shopping centres around Cape Town.
Cape Craft and Design Institute: This not-for-profit company is a joint initiative of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology that supports craft producers, many of whom are poor people looking to enter the mainstream economy, and helps connect all involved in the product-to-market chain. Look out for CCDI handmade crafts at exhibitions, collective shops and festivals.  

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Feel inspired with these magical Madiba moments caught on tape.

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