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content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the
views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.
Today I joined the caregivers from the Home Based Care in my
village as they commemorated Mandela Day by offering 67 minutes of service to
those in our community. Mandela Day
began in 2009, and is celebrated on Nelson Mandela’s birthday each year (18
July). According to un.org: By devoting 67 minutes of their time – one minute
for every year of Mr. Mandela’s public service – people can make a small gesture
of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good. It is such a small part of just one day, just
a little more than an hour. Can you
imagine what would happen if every person on the planet gave just one hour in
the year to work towards making the world a little more pleasant for just one
other person? Talk about a ripple
effect!
So today we went out to the community. The caregivers split into teams and each team
went to the home of a different patient.
The teams assisted the patients with sweeping their yards and with light
housework. The people we visited were so
happy; except for one kokwani who asked my colleagues if I was there to shoot
her (I look pretty menacing with a gogo broom in my hand). Our work was completed almost as quickly as
it began, and the yards and homes looked great.
In just 67 minutes we can make a difference in the life of
another, but often we are so caught up in looking for a “dare to be great”
moment that we miss all of the little opportunities that are just in front of
us. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if we stopped
looking for moments and started taking action?
To quote Archbishop Desmond Tutu: do
your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put
together that overwhelm the world.
What can you do with 67 minutes?
Happy Mandela Day!
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