This year, as we celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day, the Foundation takes a global perspective. Rather than merely commemorating Mandela’s birthday, we honour his legacy by actively engaging in community projects. It’s a call he made back in 2009 — one that resonates deeply with the commitment to action over celebration and talkshops.

“The spirit of volunteering has evolved beyond simple "do-gooding" to an imperative for making sustainable, lasting impacts within our communities.” – Kneo Mokgopa, Manager: Narrative Development

This year, it is still in your hands to combat poverty and inequity! Here’s a helpful list of 10 things you can do this Mandela Day to honour our beloved icon, Nelson Mandela.

On 18 July 2024, Tangible Africa will again host its Mandela Day Coding Tournament. After a successful tournament in 2023 that saw 16 000 learners coding in over 70 sites across South Africa and abroad, this year’s slogan is “30 000 learners celebrating 30 years of democracy”.

Often the restocking of libraries gives the Mandela Day Library project an ideal opportunity to touch base with schools and see how the libraries it has previously established in schools are being run.

After 35 years of waiting, an Mpumalanga primary school opened its first real library on 13 March 2024, thanks to the Mandela Day Library project.

On Saturday, the 26th of August 2023, the Mandela Day and Outreach Programme participated in two events in commemoration of Women’s Month.

As part of its efforts to “make every day a Mandela Day”, Skillcraft Agencies recently donated a toolkit to the maintenance crew at Sharicrest Primary School in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg.

Pupils from preschool to matric at Johannesburg’s SAHETI School commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day last week.

Power tool manufacturer and distributor Skillcraft Agencies donated four tool sets, made up of items specifically put together to assist a school maintenance officer, to our project for Mandela Day 2023.

Laughing children and excited teachers and parents gathered at Tlakana Primary School in Limpopo on Mandela Day, 18 July, to receive a fully kitted-out library donated by hydraulics engineering company Hytec South Africa through the Mandela Day Libraries project.

A gallery of images from the Nelson Mandela Foundation's 2023 Nelson Mandela International Day event at Afrika Tikkun in Diepsloot, Johannesburg.