Mandela Day – Make a difference, Join us ~ The HOPE Centre

“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”
– Nelson Mandela

What is ”Mandela Day”?

Information from the Nelson Mandela Foundation:
Mandela Day is a global call to action for citizens of the world to take up the challenge and follow in the admirable footsteps of Nelson Mandela, a man who transformed his life, served his country and freed his people. Its objective is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better and in so doing, to build a global movement for good.

”Take action, Inspire change – Make every day a Mandela Day” - These inspirational words from The Nelson Mandela Foundation encourage each one of us to simply do good every day, living Nelson Mandela’s legacy and helping to build the country of our dreams. Mandela Day is dynamic and ever-changing: it belongs to everyone and can take place anywhere, at any time.

Nelson Mandela International Day was launched in recognition of Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18 July, 2009 via unanimous decision by the UN General Assembly. It is more than a celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy. It is a global movement to honour his life’s work and act to change the world for the better.

The HOPE Centre supports Itsoseng in honour of Mandela Day, 17th July

Project HOPE South Africa is supporting Itsoseng, an informal settlement in the outskirts of Johannesburg, in honour of Mandela day on the 17th of July by reviving their community garden. Project HOPE aims to plant herbs and provide training to community gardeners to make the revived garden sustainable.

Health awareness is already a key focus for Project HOPE’s HOPE Centre staff and we are constantly identifying ways to raise awareness in new communities. The Mandela Day project in Itsoseng is no exception:

”We already have a success story from Kopano Garden in Zandspruit where community members and patients from the HOPE Clinic are involved, working together to make some extra money, learn about gardening, and for most; to better their health”. We see a high interest for creating the same in Itsoseng and want to make it happen.” – says Portia Zulu, Health Education & Training Officer for Project HOPE South Africa.

We are hoping for a high level of interest on Mandela Day – from both community members and volounteers. The aim of the project is to revive the community garden and train community members on how to take care of their garden so that it is sustainable. The aim of the garden is to promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce food security issues, and create an income for the garden members.

We need YOUR help to make this happen!

To turn this piece of land into a sustainable and lush garden of herbs, we need your help! The 17th of July, in honour of Mandela Day, is the day when the transformation is happening.

So, do a good deed and make a difference for the community members in Itsoseng! Come and help us transform this land and hand it over to the community.

We are in need of sponsors and donations

Our goal is to make this a sustainable project which means we are in need of kind sponsors and donations, both for Mandela Day itself and for the long-term.

If your company or organization sponsors the Itsoseng Garden, we are happy to show everyone our gratitude on social media and on our website in appreciation.
See the list of what we need here: