Change a life, change a community
In honour of our former president we are all called to do what we can to make a difference
ONE OF the special days on the South African calendar is Mandela Day, falling this year on Monday. To get into the spirit of things, The Independent on Saturday spoke to four local charities to find out how Mandela Day has helped them.
Johno Olds, chief fundraising manager of the Highway Hospice, said: “It gives us a lot of exposure that we don’t normally get throughout the year.
“A lot of people would rather spend quality time with patients, physically helping them, instead of sending through donations,” he said.
This year, Highway Hospice is co-ordinating a “Dream Day” where the public are invited to spoil their more mobile patients and spend a special day together.
“We’re sending a 9-year-old patient to uShaka, one member of the public is taking the mother of a Hospice patient to get her car fixed, and a motor neuron patient is going to the top of the Moses Mabhida arch,” said Olds.
Last year, the Highway Hospice urged the public to get involved with their organisation by helping in a variety of ways. “We sold Mandela Day T-shirts and arranged for corporate teams to plant a vegetable garden in our Chesterville Community Hospice,” said Olds.
“One of the teams helped sort out our charity shop in Pinetown, others brought in linen and changed beds for us, washed cars and cleaned our swimming pool, walls and windows,” he said.
Those interested in getting involved through donations supplied the Hospice with goods. Donations come in all shapes and sizes, said Olds, “from clothing, to toiletries... they help provide necessities to our poorer patients and orphans.”
If you’re interested in getting involved with the Highway Hospice’s Mandela Day event, visit their website at: www.hpca.co.za or call Olds at 031 208 6110.
Megan Rich, of the Domino Foundation, said: “Thanks to the enthusiastic response and willing hearts of hundreds of volunteers, last year’s Mandela Day was a great success,” she said. “We made over 13 000 sandwiches that were distributed to numerous communities, families and individuals throughout north Durban.”
The relief hampers were put together to hand out to families in crises immediately.
“Through generous donations, 350 relief hampers were packaged and delivered to families in need.
“We also made more than 250 winter parcels filled with blankets, jerseys and warm clothing, and blankets were made for each of the children at our babies’ home to take with them to their adoptive family.”
Rich said the day had helped create a platform for corporate and nonprofit sectors to interact and serve the community.
“Mandela Day at the Domino Foundation is a fun day that brings the local community and businesses together to heed the international call to change the world for the better,” said Rich. “It gives us the opportunity to align all of our Mandela Day activities with one or more of our programmes and to stock up on valuable resources.
“There are three action stations planned in Durban North and two in Amanzimtoti.”
Corporates or individuals book a time slot of 67 minutes and come with the required items to participate in the day’s activities.
Sandwiches and soups will be prepared by volunteers and distributed to schools and families.
For those who can’t attend but want to help, both events have a station where donations can be dropped off (Cogs Church at 37 Mackeurtan Avenue, Durban North and Amanzimtoti’s Seadoone Mall).
The Domino Foundation sends out a massive thank you to every person who has and will contribute to Mandela Day. “Your actions are part of the domino effect of changing a life, changing a community.”
Follow them online at www.dominofounation.org.za or on Facebook (thedominofoundation), or Twitter: @DominoRSA
The Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust is a non-profit organisation that provides all-round support for people affected by HIV/Aids.
The project focuses on four different areas in assisting patients: care, prevention, poverty alleviation and income generation.
The centre receives generous support on Mandela Day when people come to their facilities to dedicate 67 minutes of their time or to make donations.
Rebekka Stredwick, a member of the marketing team for the trust, said a number of people had donated goods, from cakes to clothes.
Last year they asked people to donate 67 minutes of their time to clear out their wardrobes and donate second hand clothing for their clothing scheme which helped impoverished families make a living.
“Some preferred to make bracelets for our patients while others helped by planting trees in the nursery,” she said.
The nursery provides employment for six staff members who come from the communities nearby. Profits from sales go towards building community vegetable gardens for these families.
Stredwick said the clothing scheme was useful in supporting disadvantaged families.
“The 20 women who are part of the clothing scheme buy clothing from us for a low cost and then sell it. The money they make helps them put food on the table for their families,” she said.
They also asked for donations of gifts like toiletries, make up, and treats – like cakes – for their respite unit patients at their 24-hour care facility.
People can also donate money – R67 or R670, for example.
For more information about Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust and their projects visit www.hillAids.org.za.
Meals on Wheels is an outreach programme that provides hot meals to the poorest communities around Durban, and provides welfare, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance,
The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good.
Meals on Wheels seeks to empower communities everywhere, especially those impoverished areas around Dalton, Mayville and Chesterville.
Last year, the organisation received food donations to help them prepare meals for their Mandela Day meal drive. Sharon Moodley said it was a struggle to get funding for their hot meals. “We don’t provide meals only for Mandela Day; we have the meal drive every day of the week. It’s sometimes hard for us to get people to send us stuff, but we do have sponsors that provide food packages,” she said.
Moodley said businesses from the area sponsored them around Mandela Day. One company donated blankets worth R6 000 to give to 20 disadvantage families.
People visit to spend a day with Meals on Wheels and experience the meal drive as part of their outreach programme.
For more info visit www.mealsonwheelsknfsa.org.za.