THINGS TO DO FOR MADIBA
ture. If you can help, email events@hospicewits.co.za Trace Madiba’s footsteps by using the app Madiba’s Journey to see the many historic places in Gauteng that hosted the great statesman during his lifetime. Ask colleagues to contribute sports equipment and take it to the Jacaranda Children’s Home in Pretoria for abused and abandoned children and pregnant women. Contact Christo: clouw@jacaranda children.co.za. ORT, an educational NGO, is holding an activity for children in Alexandra at the 3rd street local municipal library on Friday July 17 at 10am. Contact Marcelle at marcelle@ortsa.org.za Food Bank SA is running its corporate food drive countrywide. Company teams can sign up to pack hampers and sponsor contents. Go to www.foodbanksa.org, Call Ashleigh at 021 531 5670 or e-mail ashleigh@foodbanksa.org. 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 LeadSA is helping efforts to fight drug abuse. For more info, go to www.sancanational.org.za Meals on Wheels constantly needs donations to continue its nationwide work. SMS the word “Meal” to 39055 and donate R15 to its great work. If education is close to your heart, sign up to keep a child at school for R100 a month. Go to www.sparrowschools.co.za and click on the “get involved” button. Ripple Reading has adopted the Blair Atholl Primary School for the week leading up to Mandela Day. In partnership with Aspen Pharmacare it will be working to improve the school premises and provide books. Adopt a school and send the pics to leadsa@inl.co.za FeedSA aims to establish feeding schemes in the townships, and is holding a number of events. Call Candice at 083 556 0998. The SPCA urges animal lovers to contact their nearest branch and offer assistance or to give R67 to their great work. Start a veggie garden on your pavement. 100 Plus is raising funds for a young Diepsloot girl who has pulmonary hypertension. Call Tshego Kekana at 071 492 3119. Stop Hunger Now is aiming to pack over 1 million meals on Friday with Tsogo Sun at the Sandton Convention Centre with 4 000 volunteers. Companies can send employees or sponsor packers. Register at www.stophungernowsa.org Get the family to pledge to use less water by showering instead of bathing. Buy a pack of nappies when you do your shopping. The Love of Christ Ministries (TLC) needs nappies for the many abandoned babies it looks after. For delivery details, go to: www.tlc.org.za. Instead of eating out this weekend, use the money to buy groceries for a family in need. 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. Offer financial support to Tape Aids for the Blind or volunteer to read. Call 011 786 6130 or go to www.tapeaids.co.za. The Johannesburg Mini Councillors are hosting 300 elderly people to tea, with entertainment and gifts. Bake a cake and deliver it to a retirement home for residents to enjoy afternoon tea in honour of Madiba’s birthday. Sign up as an organ donor. Go to www.odf.org.za. Resolve to submit tips on possible crime taking place in your community. SMS Crime Line at 32211 (at a cost of R1) or go to www.crimeline.co.za. Nima Marketing has arranged a Mandela Day event at the Hartbeespoort Dam and it needs volunteers. Call Maritza at 072 702 3177. Go back to school for a day the week after Mandela Day, when schools reopen. Got to www.adoptaschool.org.za Package nearly new school books and stationery in bundles for handing out to no-fees schools in the new year. Create a collection hub at the school to encourage others to do the same. If you’re an animal lover, SMS the word MANDELA to 38018 to contribute R25 for each SMS to the National Council of SPCAs. Organise a clean-up in a park, followed by a picnic. Find a cause to support when you take part in a sporting event like cycling or running. Friends may sponsor you online by using the portal www.givengain.co.za. Get a team from your church, school or work together. Nicole Heiman has sites in Pretoria and Joburg where school, church or office staff teams may colour in murals. Call Heiman at 084 284 6452. Give a few new soccer balls to a school in need. 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 website will send you a 67-second music clip to accompany your video, and you will then be sent a full 67-minute jive mix where you dance your heart out. The video will be part of a global series videos to create the greatest Madiba jive tribute yet. There are also dance stations in Joburg, Cape Town and London. Schools such as St Mary’s and Roedean are focusing on literacy and art in under-resourced schools. Breadline Africa has been running the Mandela Day Libraries Project since 2011, and in 2014 they partnered with Phendulani. The Phendulani Literacy Quiz will be rolled-out to all Breadline Africa Schools with container libraries. To help: www.breadlineafrica.org Miles of Smiles specialises in corporate social investment events and making children smile. Become a volunteer for them if you have expertise or a skill that can make a difference. Call Chris at 072 143 4003. Adopt a cot for an abandoned baby by signing up with www.givengain.com. Choose “Door of Hope” as your project and pledge your birthday money to help sponsor a cot. Door of Hope has three homes in Joburg including the “Hole in the Wall” initiative. Contact your police station’s community policing forum to find out if you may assist with something over the next 67 days, such as administrative tasks, community awareness or bake a cake to improve the morale of the staff. 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 donate to. Galvanise your community into improving open spaces by clearing away rubbish and planting grass to create more green lungs. Get your corporate sports club to hold a fund-raiser and contribute cash to help to place the dreams of young would-be South African soccer stars within closer reach. 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. 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. Start putting together a library of 67 books that you can give to a school. Group the reading material by age and approach a school or preschool about arranging a handover and a party. 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. Help Toys for Africa hand out stationery and toys. Contact it at toysforafrica@telkomsa.net or see www.toysforafrica.co.za. Book a corporate “givingback” day in Hillbrow. Mould Empower Share can arrange an educational and beneficial day for company employees who wish to make a change in the city. See www.mes.org.za For fresh ideas on how you can help, go to the My Greater Good website www.mygreatergoodsa.co.za. The Family Africa is holding two days of activities in Diepsloot. Help to repair shacks belonging to orphaned children and welcomes volunteers between 10am and 3pm on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18. Bring toys, paint, electrical repair and maintenance equipment or clothing. The centre is next to the police station in Buffalo Street, Dieplsoot 2. RSVP to familyafrica@mweb.co.za.