Every July, South Africans pause to remember a man who spent his life in service of others, and to ask a simple but powerful question: what will I do with my 67 minutes? This Mandela Day, we’re inviting our community to turn that question into action for the children in our care.
Where Mandela Day Comes From
Nelson Mandela International Day is marked every year on 18 July, Madiba’s birthday. It was formally declared by the United Nations in November 2009 and first celebrated in 2010, in recognition of a life spent fighting for freedom, reconciliation, and human dignity.
The idea behind the day is beautifully simple. Mandela dedicated 67 years of his life to public service, as an activist, a political prisoner, and eventually South Africa’s first democratically elected president. In honour of that legacy, the campaign asks each of us to give just 67 minutes of our time to helping others, symbolising those 67 years.
But Mandela Day was never meant to be a single day of feel-good gestures. As Mandela himself said, it is a call for people everywhere to “take action and inspire change”, not just on 18 July, but all year round. It’s a reminder that small, consistent acts of service, multiplied across a community, can shift the course of someone’s life.
Why This Day Matters So Much to a Home Like Ours
For organisations like ours, Mandela Day isn’t just symbolic; it’s tangible. It’s the one day a year when our whole community turns its attention, at the same time, to the children who need it most.
The children in our care don’t need grand gestures. They need consistency: a full stomach, a warm blanket in winter, a pencil that works, a school bag that doesn’t have holes in it. They need to know that when things are hard, someone in this community is showing up for them.
Mandela Day gives us a moment to say, out loud, that these children are not invisible. It gives businesses, families, schools and individuals a reason to stop and ask how they can help, giving us the platform to show just how far even a small contribution can go.
Three Ways to Get Involved This Year
This Mandela Day, we’re introducing three different ways you or your organisation can make a difference, designed so that everyone, whatever their time, budget or capacity, can take part.
1. Impact Drop
Put together practical, ready-to-use packs that go straight into the hands of our children:
- Toiletry packs — the everyday essentials that keep a child feeling clean, cared for and dignified. We’re asking for items such as Vaseline, deodorant, body lotion, shampoo and conditioner, and soap.
- School Shoes Pack – Ensuring our children are kitted and prepped for school. Our biggest need is boys’ and girls’ black school shoes, white and gray school socks, and black stockings for the girls.
- Winter clothing packs — warmth on the cold nights and early mornings. A simple pair of slippers and a fluffy pair of socks make all the difference.
This option is perfect for individuals, families, or teams who want a hands-on way to give — pack it yourself, drop it off, and know exactly where your contribution is going.
2. Sponsor a Day
Not everyone has time to shop and pack, and that’s okay. With Sponsor a Day, you or your company can contribute financially at whatever level suits your capacity, covering the real costs of running a home: meals, care, electricity, transport, and the hundred small things that keep a household of children running smoothly every single day.
Whether it’s a personal contribution or a company-wide initiative, every rand sponsored keeps our doors open and our children fed, safe, and supported.
CHOOSE YOUR IMPACT
CARE CONTRIBUTOR
From R2,500
Support essential daily needs such as food, toiletries, and basic care.
Helps ensure no child goes without the basics.
HOUSE SPONSOR
From R5,000
Sponsor a house unit for the day, contributing towards meals, snacks, and daily care for a group of children.
Creates a day of comfort, care, and normality.
IMPACT PARTNER
From R10,000
Extend your impact across multiple house units and support broader needs within the Home.
Reaches more children and strengthens the care we provide.
LEGACY PARTNER
R20,000+
Make a lasting impact by supporting the Home on a larger scale, including priority needs and ongoing care.
Creates meaningful change beyond Mandela Day.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
- Social media recognition
- Inclusion in our Mandela Week impact report
- Section 18A tax certificate
3. The DCH Challenge
This is where we turn the spirit of Mandela Day into a movement. We’re challenging you to challenge your friends, family, and colleagues to rally around the number 67, in whichever way works for you:
- 67 urgent needs — items straight off our most pressing wish list.
- 67 notes of encouragement — because emotional support matters just as much as material support, and our children deserve to know they’re thought of.
- R67 — a small, easy amount that adds up fast when a whole group takes part.
- R6 700 — for those who want to make a bigger statement of support.
Start your own challenge, tag the people you’re nominating, and watch how quickly a simple idea can ripple outward into real impact.
Why Every Contribution Counts
It’s easy to assume that a donation of R67 or a single toiletry pack won’t make much difference. But multiply that by a hundred people, a thousand people, and suddenly a child has a full pack of school supplies, a home has enough winter blankets to get through July, and a group of children knows that an entire community stood up for them on the same day.
That’s the real power of Mandela Day: not one enormous gesture, but thousands of small ones, given freely, adding up to something extraordinary.
As Madiba reminded us, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
This July, we invite you to make that difference with us — 67 minutes, 67 items, R67, or however you choose to show up. Every single contribution changes a child’s day, and often, a child’s life.
Ready to take part? Choose your way to give — Impact Drop, Sponsor a Day, or the DCH Challenge — and join us in honouring Mandela’s legacy the way he’d have wanted: through action.