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By 15 July 2015 | Categories: news

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So you’ve resolved to give 67 minutes of your time to help the underprivileged or disadvantaged, but you don't really know what to do? With the availability of information on Twitter you can join your company, family or friends to honour the late President’s legacy on Mandela Day (18 July).

Twitter believes remembering the spirit of Mandela is not only about massive projects designed to overwhelm you, but about using the little that you have to give towards a bigger cause. By using @NelsonMandela as your starting point you will find these and other great initiatives that you can be a part of. Whether you want to build awareness, work towards food sustainability, literacy and education, give in acts of service or infrastructure projects you can find a project that will appeal to your ability.

Some ideas from Twitter's side include giving blood to @theSANBS anytime during the month-long Blood Awareness Drive. The South African National Blood Service @theSANBS is appealing to South Africans to help replenish diminishing supplies and by giving your blood you are giving someone a chance to live.

Another worthy initiative get involved with deals with hunger, and the struggle for food that many South Africans encounter on a daily basis. As such, you can follow @lead_sa to find food distribution initiatives that you can be a part of. For example you can help @stophungernowsa to package one million meals in four 67-minute shifts and then help distribute these across one of three cities. These meals will feed 5000 children for one year.

Twitter also suggests to join @GiftoftheGivers on their visit to an orphanage to help clean up facilities in hospitals and anything else that can come up. Don't forget to bring along toys and books for the children. If you're a builder, can paint or are generally good with tools, gather some friends to paint or fix your local school or someone’s home. In a township between Strand and Somerset West in the Western Cape, Project Zola will be piloted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation where special fire retardant paint will be applied on more than 67 homes to help subdue spread of shack fires in that area.

There’s lots more projects out there that you can be a part of such as giving a little time to  mentor someone in your community, donate books, teach an adult class. All you need to do is go on Twitter and search #MandelaDay to find out what people in your social circles, local clubs or company are doing and join the masses.

For more sustained support - you can sign up your preferred charity, environmental organisation or school at @MySchoolSA, to contribute a portion every time you swipe your card. Don’t forget to use #MandelaDay to share your experiences, views on what giving really means for you.

Image courtesy of @NelsonMandela. 

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