Nelson Mandela, who encouraged active citizenship, spent 67 years of his life fighting for human rights. Mandela Day is more than a celebration of his life, it is a chance to carry his legacy forward and change the world for the better.  

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing means we need to do our 67 minutes for Mandela Day a little differently this year. From making sandwiches to break a world record, to participating in a virtual quiz night, here are a few things you can do on Mandela Day to give back to the community:

Capetonians are invited to make history with Ladles of Love on Mandela Day by spending their 67 minutes in joining forces as a city to break the current world record set in South Africa last year of 107,418 sandwiches made in an hour.

The first 2,500 people to register will receive a sandwich-making kit consisting of five loaves of Sasko bread and a 900g tin of Rhodes Quality Jam. Kits can be collected at various locations in Cape Town (which will also serve as drop-off points) between 9am and 5pm on Friday 17 July. Volunteers can also buy their own bread and jam.

Volunteers can join live via Zoom, Facebook, or Twitter on 18 July between 10am and 11am.

To respond to the increased levels of food insecurity as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Imbumba Foundation and Kolisi Foundation have partnered on an initiative called #Each1Feed1. This year, the foundations intend to raise R500,000 to provide 10,000 families with food parcels over a period of three months. You can donate here. 

Support the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa by participating in their virtual quiz which will take place at 7pm on Saturday. A R67 donation fee will guarantee your spot and will help support children and teenagers living with cancer.

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) is calling on South Africans and individuals around the globe to join them in raising funds for the NMCF by completing a virtual 67km any way you choose, in your own time, virtually.

Registration starts at R250 and participants who complete the race will receive a finisher’s medal and be allowed to purchase race merchandise through the platform.

Join the JEFF Breakfast Run for a 67-minute virtual run to help provide a child with breakfast for a month. Registration and participation is free. However, for those in a position to do so, a simple R50 donation that goes to Joint Aid Management South Africa (JAM-SA) will feed a child breakfast for a month. 

To show your appreciation for and to boost the morale of essential workers who work tirelessly in the fight against Covid-19, you can be a part of the Dairy Den’s #DonutsforDoers and #67forDoers campaigns by donating donuts. 

You can donate 12 doughnuts for R67 or 67 doughnuts for R350. To date, the Dairy Den has been spreading a message of appreciation to essential service workers at 10 hospitals. On Mandela Day, they hope to give a big morale boost at Khayelitsha Hospital, Valkenberg Hospital, and Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital.

Join Project Playground in their fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in Langa and Gugulethu this Mandela Day by visiting their online donation store. For each R167 donation, you will receive a unique “Ubunye” beaded bracelet, symbolising unity and togetherness. 

Prefer making your own bracelets? You can also purchase an Ubunye kit for R67. Kits will include all the necessary material and will also include some discussion points for parents to start a conversation about GBV with their kids while they assemble their bracelets.

You can lend a paw to the many animal shelters who have had to cancel their traditional fundraising events. Aid 4 Animals in Distress is hosting an online prize draw which allows everyone to give back in the form of some much-needed funding and potentially win some great prizes. Here’s how it works: you can choose from six grids that spell out “Nelson”, each grid has a different price per square and the prize value increases with each grid. 

For their 2020 initiative, Absolute Pets is partnering with 42 animal shelters across the country. People can donate food, blankets, and other products most needed by rescue organisations at any of Absolute Pets’ 83 stores. DM/MC