Pushing the shadows back

“Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you’re gone that light is going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back.”

The 18th July is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s birthday a day marked as Nelson Mandela International Day – known as Mandela Day here in South Africa. A day we all know to be a day of Good-Deeds; a day which we are all asked to give 67 minutes of our day to touch someone’s life, a day on which we remember his words “It is in your hands to make of our world a better one for all.” Adding by saying “it is in your hands to make a different”

Mandela Day is already here; you might have started making plans for yourself or for your company/organisation/group and you might have already found a place where you will be making a difference. New Jerusalem Children’s Home would like to thank you for taking the first step to plan towards changing someone’s world to the better – as you plan for the day and plotting activities you may wish to do for 67 minutes or more minutes, we would like you to think of this words which were once said by Charles de Lint of Netherlands “Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you’re gone that light is going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back.”

The children, old age homes and schools are always in many people’s hearts when it comes to making a difference during this important time of the year, it is with no doubts that we as NGO’s need your help and appreciate your efforts and dedication to touching our world. There are many ways you can make our world a better one during and after Mandela Day, the question has always been how do we make that life impact and push the shadows back long after Mandela Day has gone?

New Jerusalem Children’s Home has put together a few basic steps to making a lasting impact from this remarkable day;

• First we need to understand the world we wish to make a difference in – therefore we need to visit that world and see what it has and what it needs.
• It is always important to understand things which affect the world we wish to touch during this period, let’s have a cup of coffee with project/center managers of the NGO’s or schools we may wish to dedicate our Mandela Day time to.
• Ask questions like “when we are gone will this that we wish to do in your organisation push the shadows back?”
• Involve NGO’s you wish to assist in all your plenary, yes time might be a challenge but the value will Push the shadows back long after the day has passed.
• Let your experience talk, but allow their ground work knowledge lead your conversation in making a difference in their world.

Last year Mandela day activities might have been a success in a another organisation, the same focus might not give you the equal or better success in a different organisation you may wish to visit this year, therefore understanding what an organisation need and channeling your energies to what they need will give you more than your dedicated time or spending on the day. We as NGO’s value you as donors, sponsors, partners and friends of organizations talk to us and hear what we truly need for our sustainability and continuation of our work.

Our wish for 2016 Mandela Day can best be seen and heard in this words “Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you’re gone that light is going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back.”

Please click here for our Mandela Day wish list.