Nelson Mandela International Day 2011

Help to make our world a better place for blind people

Madiba's birthday on 18 July was officially named Nelson Mandela International Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009. The Nelson Mandela Foundation wants South Africans to celebrate the day by spending 67 minutes -- in honour of Madiba's own 67 years of service to humanity -- doing something good for other people.

It is a call to action for people everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time, just as Nelson Mandela did.

Council agrees with the head of the United Nations regional office, Dr Agostinho Zacarias, when he spoke about the United Nations’ recognition of Mandela Day as an international event. “We are very excited to participate in celebrating Mandela International Day. He’s an icon, not only in South Africa, but we celebrate him globally. The values that he stood for are not only values for South Africans, but are values for all of humanity.”

We at the South African National Council for the Blind fully support this imitative and we encourage people to think about visually impaired persons when they plan their Mandela Day contributions.

You can donate 67 minutes (or more) of your time to the benefit of blind and partially sighted South Africans or if you want, you can donate money and we can invest it on your behalf in changing a blind person’s world. Here is a list of some of the ways you can assist:

1. Donate a cane to a blind person to open up the world to them. 
2. Donate towards a cataract operation  to change someone’s world by giving them the precious gift of sight.
3. Get a MySchool/MyVillage card and swipe it at all participating stores. It doesn’t cost you a thing, but blind people benefit each time you buy something.
4. Give in memory: Remember someone special and make a real difference to the lives of blind persons – maybe someone who was a icon to you like Madiba is an icon to the world.
5. If you do not have 67 minutes – donate R67 - Sponsor a participant for our very important advocacy drive: the White Cane Safety Day Fun Walk in October. Contact Lizette to find out what it is all about:
6. Make a new friend. Get to know someone who lives with a visual disability. Only through mutual understanding can we rid our communities of intolerance.
7. Host a function on our behalf: Contact Lizette.
8. Leave a gift in your will: Leave a bequest to benefit blind people so you can be remembered for many, many years after you have passed on or contact Nishen .
9. Subscribe to our newsletters.
10. Buy a Casual Day Sticker in support of persons with disabilities or email Francesca to ask how
11. Talk to your friends and family about blindness and blind people.
12. Take someone who cannot afford it, to have their eyes tested or donate to us so we can do that on your behalf . It might change the way they see the world.
13. Donate a pair of glasses to someone - it can bring their world in focus.
14. Donate a magnifying glass or low vision assessment to a partially sighted person - to bring the world a bit closer.
15. Read to someone who can’t, and open up a new world for them.
16. Donate towards making information and important reading material available in accessible formats for blind people (in braille, on tape, etc.)
17. Cook or buy a meal for our Optima Students.
18. Offer to take a visually impaired person to do their shopping/chores and make their life easier.
19. Join us on Facebook, or on Twitter (or simply follow @councilforblind) – and help us to spread our message.
20. Donate your skills to our organisation.
21. Sponsor a group of Optima students to go on an outing.
22. Get in touch with your local blindness organisations and find out how you can help – we have more than 100 member organisations all over South Africa – I am sure you will find an activity you fancy.
23. Get your eyes tested and encourage your partner/friend/family members to do so too.
24. Bake something for our students or a support group.
25. Donate a talking watch to someone in need.
26. Organise a bake sale, car wash or garage sale for Council and donate the proceeds.
27. If you play an instrument, visit Optima College and spend an hour playing for the residents and staff.
28. Donate indigenous trees to beautify Council’s premises.
29. Give a gift in Celebration for any special occasion. Request donations instead of gifts for your birthday or give a donation to Council instead of buying someone another pair of socks or a salad bowl.
30. Employ a blind person.
31. Start a vegetable garden to encourage healthy eating amongst our students.
32. Donate your old computer.
33. Help maintain Council’s gardens/buildings