What is ”Mandela Day”?
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 doing so, to build a global movement for the good of mankind.
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 doing so, to build a global movement for the good of mankind.
“Mandela
day is a day when people forget about themselves and give back to those less
fortunate communities. Interacting closely with such communities is a
reality check. I think South African people are caring and humble people who
have a giving spirit and are willing to help out if they can. It feels
good to make a difference, to help the community. Everyone coming together as
one - like Mandela would have wanted. Celebrating and living the true Madiba
legend is what it’s all about”.
- Nadia Harvett, Human
Resources Manager, Boston Scientific, South Africa.
Joyful day of gardening in Itsoseng
It was amazing how quickly a piece of dry
land transformed into a living garden of herbs and vegetabes, with a bit of
team work and a fantastic collective spirit. The enthusiasm was high all around
and the gardeners’ excitement couldn’t be hidden. The singing and dancing
hardly stopped throughout the day!
Project HOPEs
aims with the project at Itsoseng was to revive the community garden next to
the HOPE Centre Clinic and to train community members on how to take
care of their garden and make it sustainable. The aim of the garden is to
promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce food security issues, and to create an
income for the garden members. So far it
has been a real success story!
 “I’m so happy and excited about this new garden. I have worked in a garden before at my previous job as a domestic worker. There were also herbs so I have a bit of experience. I have no job at the moment so I will definitely be here every day to look after the garden. I’m looking forward to see the plants grow.” - Thokoziale Mashaba, Gardener of Itsoseng community. |
 “It’s so
enjoyable to be here, seeing all these people working together, creating
something. Two days ago I was in Oxford Circus, in central London, surrounded
by busy and stressed people, driven by consumerism - it’s such a different
world. Here you find joy and a spirit of “living” that I think we have lost
in the Western world. People are singing and dancing and are so excited to be
a part of something, it’s a real eye-opener”.
- Lesley Billington, volunteer and expat from UK A herb garden reaps many benefits. A herb garden has the benefit of motivating patients and local community members to use more herbs in their daily food which helps in reducing salt and spice intake. Additionally, in another garden project at a different community, we have been able to see the pride and joy that garden members experience by working together on the project and enabling them to maintain a well-run and profitable group. To this end, all proceeds from selling produce from the garden are shared among the members. The HOPE clinic staff also teach the patients about the health benefits of using herbs in food, which is a great opportunity for them to learn how to use these wonderfully scented and tasting herbs both in the kitchen and even for medicinal purposes. |
Thank You!
We want to say THANK YOU to the kind sponsors
that have played a substatial role in making the Mandela Day gardening project
happen! We are also overwhelmed by the degree of engagement of all the
volunteers that came to help us out, it’s truly heartwarming to see. A great team
and great work!
