67 ways to help others on Mandela Day

67 things to do for Madiba on Saturday

INDIVIDUALS, companies and organisations across South Africa are planning activities for Mandela Day on Saturday. Nelson Mandela’s birthday was named International Nelson Mandela Day and has become a symbol for active citizenry and community service.

1 Take up your knitting needles to participate in “67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day”. Hosted by Den Anker at the V&A Waterfront from 10am to 5pm daily until Friday, participants are encouraged to bring along their own wool. The project moves to the Watershed on Saturday, from 11am to 4pm. For more information contact Nwabisa Mayema on 083 338 1849 or e- mail nwabisamayema@gmail.com

2 Wear your slippers on August 7. Buy stickers for R10 at Wimpy or online at www.slipperday.co.za.

3 Paper can be recycled up to seven times. Make an effort to recycle paper and paper products.

4 The Vital Foundation is calling on all South Africans to spend time serving at an organisation fighting abuse of women and children. Go to their website, www.vitalfoundation.co.za and select the organisation you would like to support.

5 The Chaeli Campaign is planning a Mandela Day Challenge activity on Saturday at the Blue Route Mall from 10am to 5pm. For R67 you can make and purchase three Helping Other People Everyday bracelets. For further details call 0861 242 354 or e-mail debbie@chaelicampaign.co.za.

6 For just R67 you could give the gift of speech and hearing. Donate to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital’s Speech and Hearing Programme which aims to provide easier access to prevention, screening and rehabilitation services. Visit www.childrenshospitaltrust.org.za.

7 Get your department at work to collect items to make up comfort packs for abused women and children. Call Alta at 082 940 6230.

8 Sponsor a birth certificate for an underprivileged child by giving R50 electronically. Go to www.jhbchildwelfare.org.za

9 The South African Depression and Anxiety Group receives 400 calls a day. Donate R67to help them continue helping South Africans in need of mental health care services. See www.sadag.org.

10 Volunteer your time at the Beautiful Life Training And Community Development Association in Bridgetown which works to address poverty and unemployment and develop potential in children and adults. Call 021 637 2319

11 Qhubeka, which distributes bicycles in rural areas to increase school attendance, suggests spending 67 minutes teaching a child to ride a bike. Go to www.qhubeka.org.za.

12 The Childhood Cancer association is offering subscribers who pay a monthly donation of R59.95 deals on cinema tickets, meals and computicket discounts. Go to www.choc-olate.org.za.

13 Register for the Woolworths MySchool card which automatically sends cash to a chosen school: www.myschool.co.za.

14 Spend this Mandela Day building kennels at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha. Volunteers should donate whatever they can afford to cover the cost of the kennels. Call them on 082 251 0554 or 082 200 9962.

15 Spend your 67 minutes chopping veggies for soups and stews at the President Hotel in Bantry Bay and help the South African Red Cross Society feed the hungry. The session runs from 11.30am to 3pm. Call 021 434 8111.

16 Use your Pick n Pay Smart Shopper points to buy a gift card for someone in need of food.

17 Help an underprivileged child get to and from school by contributing to a new bicycle: http://bicycleschangelives.org.

18 Give your child’s old football kit to a deserving recipient. Boots for Dreams collects soccer kit for underprivileged children who are keen to play. See www.bootsfordreams.co.za.

19 Join a Knitathon with SA Armand du Plessis at the Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel and Spa in St George’s Mall sponsored by the hotel and Fair Cape Dairies in support of the Little Fighters Cancer Trust. Please provide your own wool and knitting needles. You can also drop off blankets to assist those in need. Time: 11am to 4pm.

20 Help spread the word about rape by being an ambassador. StopRape is run by LeadSA. Call Meleney at 079 635 2964.

21 Donate blood or arrange a blood drive at work. Contact the Western Province Blood Transfusion Service on 021 507 6300.

22 Sponsor a guide dog: www.guidedog.co.za or call 021 674 7395.

23 Help Great Girls by donating biscuits, fruit juice, milk, sugar, tea, coffee and stationery. Great Girls seeks to help foster well-rounded individuals capable of carving out their own successful career paths. Call 083 656 2666 or go to www.greatgirls.co.za.

24 Assist Youth Solutions Africa, which helps the homeless and children by running a shelter, soup kitchen and kindergarten. For more information, call 078 728 4390 or visit their website, www.safyouth.org.

25 Help spread the word about Helderberg Baby Saver by placing posters in community clinics, halls and high schools and by distributing them to young women who may be at risk. Call 082 494 0983.

26 The Thope Foundation is looking for young women who want to make a difference in the lives of young girls in Khayelitsha. They offer training for girls in Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. Call 073 166 9326.

27 Food Bank SA is running a countrywide food drive countrywide. Company teams can sign up to pack hampers and sponsor contents. Call Ashleigh at 021 531 5670 or e- mail ashleigh@foodbanksa.org.

28 Celebrate the first African team in the Tour de France by having a “Tour party” – ask your guests to give money to Qhubeka. www.givengain.com/cause/4669.

29 LeadSA is helping efforts to fight drug abuse. For more info, go to www.sancanational.org.za.

30 Meals on Wheels constantly needs donations to continue its nationwide work. SMS the word “Meal” to 39055 and donate R15.

31 Sign up to keep a child at school for R100 a month. Go to www.sparrowschools.co.za.

32 Help Ikamva Labantu by holding a sponsored dinner party. Ask your guests to donate to the organisation’s efforts to provide vital meals for children living in Cape Town’s townships. For more information, e-mail Jovana@ikamva.co.z or call 021 461 8338.

33 FeedSA is holding events to fund the establishment of township feeding schemes. Call Candice at 083 556 0998.

34 The SPCA urges animal lovers to contact their nearest branch and offer assistance or to give R67.

35 Start a veggie garden on your pavement.

36 Help Rape Crisis in Cape Town in plan and execute fundraising events during 2015. Call 021 447 1467.

37 Stop Hunger Now is aiming to pack over 1 million meals on Friday. Join them at the Food Court, Canal Walk, Century Blvd, Century City from 9am to 9pm. Register at www.stophungernowsa.org.

38 Get the family to use less water by showering instead of bathing.

39 Help the Huis van Heerde child and youth care centre by donating nonperishable food, stationery, toiletries, clothes and toys at Club Mykonos reception until July 21. Contact 022 707 7000.

40 Instead of eating out this weekend, use the money to buy groceries for a family in need.

41 Create a WhatsApp group for your neighbourhood. Domestic workers and security guards are a suburb’s eyes and ears, so chat to them about daily happenings.

42 Offer financial support to Tape Aids for the Blind or volunteer to read. Call 021 689 5983/4 or go to www.tapeaids.co.za.

43 Help Ekhaya Project with their feeding scheme and school holiday programme for children in Gugulethu. Call 021 633 4798 and visit www.ekhayaproject.org.za.

44 Sign up as an organ donor. Go to www.odf.org.za.

45 Submit tips on possible crime taking place in your community. SMS Crime Line at 32211 or go to www.crimeline.co.za.

46 Help the Anna Foundation in Boland. Volunteers are needed from 3pm-5pm to offer educational support for Afrikaans-speaking primary school children. Call 021 885 1922 or visit www.annafoundation.com.

47 Go back to school for a day. Go to www.adoptaschool.org.za.

48 Package nearly new school books and stationery in bundles for no-fees schools.

49 If you’re an animal lover, SMS the word MANDELA to 38018 to contribute R25 for each SMS to the National Council of SPCAs.

50 Organise a clean-up in a park, followed by a picnic. Or take part in a sponsored bicycle ride or run. Friends may sponsor you online by using the portal www.givengain.co.za.

51 Help Somerset West Night Shelter with fundraising, events and knitting/sewing/crochet. Call 021 851 4984.

52 Give some footballs to a school in need.

53 Dance to the Madiba beat. See www.danceformadiba.co.za to make a donation, and upload your video showing you dancing the Madiba jive. The videos will be edited as part of a global series to create the greatest Madiba jive tribute yet. There is also a dance station in Cape Town.

54 Support the Phendulani Literacy Quiz which is being rolled-out to all Breadline Africa Schools with container libraries. To help: www.breadlineafrica.org.

55 Miles of Smiles specialises in corporate social investment events and making children smile. Become a volunteer. Call Chris at 072 143 4003.

56 The Animal Welfare Society, Helderberg needs help with grooming dogs. Call 021 852 2268.

57 Contact your police station’s community policing forum to find out if you can help over the next 67 days. You may perform administrative tasks, boost community awareness or bake a cake to improve the morale of staff.

58 If you can’t get away from work on Mandela Day, register at www.ashoka.org/volunteer and wait for an event that you can attend or support.

59 Clear away rubbish and plant grass to create a healthier urban environment.

60 Get your corporate sports club to hold a fundraiser and contribute cash to support the South African football stars of the future. Go to www.dreamfields.org – it features some of these rising football stars and you can contribute to kit or a field in a rural area.

61 Take re-usable bags when you go shopping and try to purchase food with minimal packaging to minimise the need to dispose of plastic and polystyrene.

62 Start putting together a library of 67 books that you can give to a school.

63 Gift of the Givers is focusing on Limpopo this Mandela Day. Take a leaf out of its book and cook a meal for a family in need.

64 Help Toys for Africa collect and hand out stationery and toys. Contact it at toysforafrica@telkomsa.net or see www.toysforafrica.co.za.

65 Help the Little Fighters Cancer Trust in Paarl spread awareness. Call 021 863 0249 or visit http://www.littlefighters.org.za

66 Help Little Angels in Somerset West make their home a little nicer for severely disabled children. The house needs quite a bit of fixing up and painting. Call 021 851 0908. www.littleangelshome.co.za.

67 For fresh ideas on how you can help, go to the My Greater Good website www.mygreatergoodsa.co.za.