What does Mandela Day mean to you?
Mandela Day was created in honour of Nelson Mandela. It is celebrated each year on the 18th of July, Mandela’s birthday. The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009 and therefore celebrated its eleventh year in 2020.
On Mandela Day people around the world are encouraged to give 67 minutes of their time contributing to something bigger than themselves. While I applaud the initiative and think that it has great value, I encourage everyone to think bigger and to contribute more to society on an on-going basis. Let us all make an effort to collaborate more and be more open. The hashtag #MandelaMonth draws awareness to the entire month of July being dedicated to Mandela’s legacy. We can all learn from the leadership and empathy that Mandela showed during his life’s journey, let’s not confine learning from these lessons and applying them to just 67 minutes every 365 days.
The world is in an interesting space at the time of writing this and while no Mandela Day will ever be completely identical, this year the day and associated drives/events will be vastly different to previous initiatives.
On Mandela Day, you are encouraged to make a contribute to changing the world for the better, just as Nelson Mandela did every day. Here’s what two of CN&CO’s founding partners have planned to contribute towards change in #MandelaMonth.
This year EasyEquities, one of our founding partners and part of the JSE listed company Purple Group limited, is supporting the Madiba Action Project. Just as they are democratising investing and access to the stock market, they are giving back to the broader community.
The Mandela Action Project seeks to bring a greater sense of dignity to people in a dire time of need. Every action, every donation is helpful. Learn more about the project here.
EasyEquities is also working with a number of charities using their ‘Donate for Good’ feature. Next time you are on the EasyEquities platform look out for their “donate for good” section on the share purchase page. Ensure you have enough funds in your available cash to add a donation to your investment selected and confirm the amount you would like to donate. The donation feature is available in the EasyEquities ZAR and TFSA accounts.
Click here for more information on how to donate via the EasyEquities app or website.
Lombard Insurance Company Limited
Lombard are running an internal campaign encouraging their team to share something that depicts what South Africa means to them.
In our broader network, our friends at Brownie Points – a platform and social enterprise that has been developed to connected both people and companies to causes in need, have listed a number of causes that you can contribute to.
Our Blake Dyason says that “Deep down inside all of us, we want to make a difference but it can be overwhelming”, if you are looking for a cause to contribute to and are based in Cape Town here’s one of the many listing on the platform that allows individuals to credit 67 minutes of their time towards a cause.
“Credit 67 Minutes to Ladies of Love Cape Town”
Credit 67 minutes of your time to volunteer at a future event at Ladies of Love Cape Town in the Western Cape.. Whilst the organisation is unable to take on any new volunteers during Covid-19 to keep everyone safe, they are always looking for passionate volunteers to help out with their feeding programmes during the week or weekends. By crediting 67 minutes of your time to this organisation, you can choose to volunteer at a date and time that suites you when it is safe to do so. Please note that the DO MORE FOUNDATION will not be arranging this event directly with you, we are simply connecting you with nearby volunteer opportunities so that you can volunteer your Mandela Day 67 minutes beyond Covid-19. To book your time slot for a future event (post Covid-19) or show your support for the work that this organisation is doing for your nearby community, please contact the soup kitchen directly using the details on the page.
Speaking of Brownie Points, you can listed to a conversation with their CEO on the podcast, Podcasts of the People.
This year Mandela Day falls on a Saturday. Please share what you have planned and tag @cnandco on social media.
To me, Mandela day means a time for reflection – a space, a day, 67 minutes or even a moment – where we acknowledge that we can all do more to make the world a better place and make a commitment to do so over the coming year. Let’s unite in building a better future.
Here are a few blogs that our team and associates published relating to Mandela Day in 2019:
Reflecting on Mandela Day and our future
My favourite Mandela Day initiatives and how to get involved
The Purple Group Madiba Action Project
For more CN&CO stories to help you grow your business and lead your best life, follow us on @cnandco.
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