On the late Nelson Mandela’s birthday, celebrated on 18 July, people around the world are invited to participate in acts of service and kindness.
In Kimberley, various actitivities have been planned to promote service and kindness in the community:
- The Kimberley Harriers Running Club and the Diamantveld High School present a 4 km run and walk from 17:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday, 18 July.
Participants can register from 16:30 for this free event at the school’s Monument Gate.
Donations to support Child Welfare and Destiny House are, however, encouraged.
Destiny House is a temporary place of safety for babies and toddlers who were removed by court order from their parents or carers. This house in 21B Schimdtsdrift Road in Kimberley is completely dependant on donations.
Winter clothing (especially for children), blankets, canned food or other non-perishable food items, toiletries, and cash for the benefit of the two above-mentioned non-profitable organisations (NPOs) are ideas for donations.
For more information, send a WhatsApp message to 083-395-1465 or send an email to ramonavdm13@gmail.com.
- The Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley will embark on a community clean-up project.
This is done by the SPU’s Employee Wellness Office, in collaboration with the Sol Plaatje Municipality and the Rotary Interact Club of the Northern Cape High School.
By cleaning this area, which is opposite the Northern Cape High School, the safety of students and learners will be enhanced when walking to and from school, and the SPU campus.
“This event is more than a mere clean-up; it is a platform to raise consciousness about environmental stewardship. By joining us, participants visibly commit to creating a safer, cleaner community for all.
“We invite everyone to participate in this event and make a lasting impact on our community,” comments Qondakele Sompondo, director of institutional advancement at the SPU.
The clean-up will take place at the intersection of Meyer Street and Hayston Road.
The clean-up takes place from 10:00 to 13:00, and all are welcome to join.
- A book donation drive, with the books to be handed over on 18 July, is taking place for the !Xunkhwesa Combined School in Platfontein, outside Kimberley. This school has learners from the San tribes !Xun and Khwe.
Most of the learners struggle with reading, writing, understanding, and expressing themselves in Afrikaans and English, as their home language is !Xun or Khwe.
The primary objective is to enrich the school’s language resources, thereby creating a culture of reading to improve educational outcomes. This will be done by providing fiction books in Afrikaans as first additional language, and English as second additional language – helping develop learners’ vocabulary, contributing to their language development, and helping the learners express themselves.
Stakeholders include the Northern Cape branch of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (Liasa), the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) Library and Information Services, and the Kimberley public libraries.
Books can be dropped off at the latter as well as the SPU library.
- A donation that includes soup, toiletries, and nappies will be handed over by the Diamond Pavilion Mall in Kimberley to an NPO in the city.
Philadelphia Babi, marketing manager, says at this stage it is still a surprise as to who the recipient is.
On the website amajoya.com, ideas on different ways to take part in Mandela Day are shared:
1. Organise a cleanup
Spend 67 minutes cleaning up an area of your community – whether it is a littered park, or simply the streets around your home. This is a great way to keep the whole family busy, since even young children are able to help.
2. Plant a tree
Plant a tree or build a community garden, either in your own area or by bringing joy to an underprivileged community by contacting organisations who work there and can help with planting in that area.
3. Donate to kids
Donate old clothes or toys to a charity shop or a children’s home. This can be a teaching opportunity for your children – what they consider old and boring might be wonderful to a child who has less. You can donate your children’s old textbooks and round up pens, papers, pencils, and other items that will be of use to keeping children in school and off the streets. Add the cherry on top by including a couple of packs of Amajoya sweets – that will really make the children’s day!
4. Put together packages for patients
These can go to under-resourced patients in government hospitals. You can donate care packages to psychiatric hospitals, especially where many patients do not have access to more than basic daily items. Think of food treats, reading material like books, magazines, puzzle books, and any other items you think could be useful to a patient.
5. Collect and donate sanitary products
This will help the needy and also help to keep girls in school. Did you know that periods – and not having access to sanitary products – are a major reason why girls drop out of school?
6. Donate blood
Or at least register to do so. Anyone over the age of 16 years, who is HIV negative, and in good health can donate blood, yet only one percent of South Africans are active blood donors. This Mandela Day, be the change and save lives by registering or donating blood. More information at sanbs.org.za.
7. Start a mini pay-it-forward campaign
Next time you buy coffee, offer to cover the bill of the person behind you. Hopefully, they will be inspired to do the same in the future.
8. Host a board games session at an old age home
It will be a special event for the elderly and a chance for your family to interact across generations. Why not bake a simple sticky toffee pudding and take it along as a treat?
9. Host a R5 dinner
Walk in someone else’s shoes by hosting a dinner where the budget is R5 per person. This amount is what many South Africans live on day-to-day. Can you and your friends organise something like that? Donate the rest of the meal amount to an organisation like Ladles of Love that feeds the needy.
10. Give a homeless person a night off the streets
Buy a bed in a shelter for a homeless person so they can spend the night off the streets. Explore your area and help the homeless find dignity.
