Nelson Mandela Day 2021: Six ways to participate without leaving home

Nelson Mandela International Day is celebrated annually in honor of former president and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela on his birthday, 18 July. 

Nelson Mandela Day was officially declared by the United Nations (UN) in November 2009 as a way to honor his legacy and is celebrated by dedicating 67 minutes of your time to global humanitarianism, one for every year of Mandela’s service. 

With the third wave of COVID-19 in addition to the unrest that has been taking place in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, leaving home may be risky. However, you can still do your 67 minutes from the comfort of your home. 

Here are six ways to participate in Mandela Day without leaving the safety of your home, as per Business Insider. 

1. DONATE WHILE YOU SHOP

Selected retailers and supermarkets allow you to donate when shopping. Pick n Pay, through their Feed The Nation initiative and Shoprite, through their Act for Change fund, are attempting  to help families in need with essential items. 

There are other campaigns such as MySchool, My Village and MyPlanet that allow shoppers to donate to one of the mentioned initiatives at no additional cost. Woolworths is one of the retailers that offer this service. 

You can donate to these initiatives when purchasing goods online via the retailers service delivery apps.

2. MAKE A DIRECT FINANCIAL DONATION

A number of non-profit organisations set up payment gateways that allow donors to contribute financially to the organisation on their website. You could also try donor sites like GivenGain and Backabuddy.

3. BECOME AN ORGAN OR BONE MARROW DONOR 

You could register to become an organ or bone marrow donor from the comfort of your home. To donate an organ you can register on the Organ Donor Foundation here or to become a bone marrow donor you can register on the South African Bone Marrow Registry website here. 

Bone Marrow donors need to be within the ages of 16 to 45. 

4. ONLINE QUIZ

One of the easiest ways to participate in Mandela Day is to complete a simple online quiz. Africa Food for Thought is hosting an online quiz as their Mandela day initiative, the quiz lasts 67 minutes and costs R67 to enter. 

5. COMEDY SHOW

Cotlands partnered with South African comedians to do a 67 minute virtual event for Mandela Day called the Laugh for Change event. The show features a range of comedians from Kagiso KG Mokgadi to Chester Missing who recently publicly questioned Duduzane Zuma for his “loot carefully” advice.

You can book your ticket at Quicket for R100 and the show can be watched from 17 July- 31 July.

6. GAMING

Givengain is using #GameForFood to encourage gamers and live streamers to use their platform to set up a fundraising project on their platform. GivenGain provides registered users with a live-streaming widget plugin that will allow gamers to broadcast any activity, show incoming donations in real time and thank the donors.

ALSO READ: R75 for bread? Here’s what KZN has been paying for basics this week