“It is in your hands, to make a better world for all who live in it” – Nelson Mandela
18th July marks Nelson Mandela Day, an important day for all South Africans. This day is usually celebrated by each of us devoting 67 minutes through acts of philanthropy and service. The purpose is to empower us to think in the spirit of Ubuntu, but also to see what a widespread positive effect we can collectively make with as little as over an hour of our time.
2023 marks a decade since the Father of our Nation passed away and this year the Nelson Mandela Foundation has themed the 10-Year Remembrance “The Legacy Lives on Through You.”
The call to action for Nelson Mandela Day 2023 is “Climate, Food, and Solidarity”, which reflects some of the most critical needs people are facing worldwide. We all need to dig deep to focus on destabilising these issues in an effort to help alleviate poverty, inequality, and to take sustainable steps towards climate change efforts, and create resilient food environments and supplies.
As The Love Trust, we would like to encourage our fellow change agents to think beyond just 67 minutes and consider what legacy to leave in our wake, for future South Africans. In this vein, we will be undertaking a full week of activities between the Nokuphila School, and the Nokuphila Teacher Training Academy, to effect the biggest change possible.
The Love Trust will be hosting activities each day of the week, from the 17th to the 21st of July, and invite all donors and partners to join in the festivities, whether it be gathering supplies, packing donations, or hosting adult students’ workshops. We take this opportunity to create positive change for our learners and the wider community, in many different aspects of their lives.
Kicking off on Monday the 17th, we will start taking steps towards change at the pre-school by planting seedlings for a vegetable garden. This will be used as a means to supplement the daily school meals, as well as the much-needed food parcels for learners at the Nokuphila School. This is critical, as adequate nutrition plays a vital role in our learners ability to concentrate in the classroom.
Further to creating a sustainable and healthy fresh food supply for the Nokuphila School, The Love Trust will be accepting donated items towards our food pantry. During this week, we aim to pack 50 food parcels for the children whose families require this support the most. These parcels get sent home over the school holidays with the aim of sustaining their nutritional needs during the school break, when school meals are not received. Each parcel is filled with necessary pantry items like rice, maize meal, and lentils and costs just over R400 per pack.
Looking towards the learners educational needs, The Love Trust will be collecting stationery items for the primary school, as well as, necessary stationery items for the ECD learners and classrooms. Individuals can donate and assist with various packing activities on the day, either by themselves, or as part of corporate responsibility programmes.
To meet our intermediate learners’ hygiene requirements, The Love Trust has also planned to host an activity around the packing of care packs. These packs will contain all the necessary items for them to maintain a high-level of hygiene and self-care, much needed for our busy learners, who don’t always have access to such necessary items. Donors are invited to donate items and take the time to pack individual bags for the Nokuphila learners.
Further to the food, self-care and educational activities, The Love Trust has undertaken many fun activities throughout the week that involve the updating and upgrading of the playground and classroom equipment. From painting and spray painting activities, to the donation of outdoor play items such as plastic bikes and hoola-hoops, The Love Trust strives to create fun and stimulating activities for our students.
In addition, the Nokuphila Teacher Training Academy will host workshops for our adult education student. Financial management, services and consulting organisations are invited to donate their time and expertise in sharing fundamental skills in a two-hour workshop on topics ranging from:
- How to budget – basic budgeting skills for someone starting a business (Preschool)
- Good management – what does it look like?
- How to be a good Team Leader
- Communication skills – how to communicate professionally with stakeholders
- Basic computer skills – MS Word, MS Excel, how to set up an email account
For a more personal touch, The Love Trust invites you to partake in reading stories to Foundation Phase learners or participate in an exhibition match of your favourite sports game, like netball or soccer. Donations of sporting kit or items for netball, soccer, tennis or volleyball will be greatly appreciated.
At The Love Trust, we see this as not only an opportunity to engage with our learners but also with the larger community so that we can all enjoy the benefits of paying it forward and bonding over Madiba’s legacy.
However, if you don’t have a plan for Mandela Day and cannot take time to visit our programmes, why not consider making a R670 or R6700 donation to The Love Trust to help us raise R67000 towards our overall educational needs.
You can contact [email protected] for any enquiries relating to our week long celebration.
