Nelson Mandela International Day
Next: July 18, 2027
Give 67 minutes to someone.
The story
Where it comes from
Nelson Mandela was born in the village of Mvezo, in South Africa's Eastern Cape, on 18 July 1918. At his 90th birthday celebrations in London's Hyde Park in 2008 he told the crowd, 'It is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now.' The Nelson Mandela Foundation answered with Mandela Day, first held on his 91st birthday, 18 July 2009. That November the UN General Assembly declared 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day, and the UN has observed it since 2010.
How it's celebrated
Mandela asked that his birthday should not become a public holiday but a day of service. So people are asked to give at least 67 minutes of their time to others, one minute for each year he spent working for human rights and social justice: supporting a charity, cleaning up a neighbourhood or serving their community. The call is 'Take action, inspire change, make every day a Mandela Day'.
Did you know
- The first Mandela Day was marked both in South Africa and in New York.
- In 1993 Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize, and on 27 April 1994 he voted for the first time in his life.
- Every five years the UN awards the Nelson Mandela Prize to one woman and one man from different parts of the world for their service to humanity.
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