Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2013 | Page 27

A Small Act of Kindness
Makes a Big Difference
Mandela Day is one of the University of Johannesburg’s
institutional events. As an engaged university, UJ is responsive
to community needs and has made significant strides in
working with local community partners in the Gauteng region.
Mandela Day has become a vehicle for this interaction with external
constituencies with the intention of making a difference in peoples’ lives,
however small. University personnel and students participated in volunteer
activities for a few hours on July 18 2013, to celebrate Madiba’s 95th birthday
and to promote his philosophy of continual social upliftment.
The occasion was driven by the powerful words of Nelson Mandela, “There is
nothing more important in life than giving.” The day was truly special because
small acts of kindness made a significant impression on many peoples’ lives.
UJ staff and students participated in volunteer programs at the Westdene
Dam, Brixton Park, Helen Joseph Hospital, Chris Hani Bara Hospital, and the
Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
Thoughtful gestures of kindness included planting trees and flowers, bagging
litter, giving walls a new fresh appearance with a coat of paint and cheerful
murals, and washing dishes and scrubbing floors. Other good deeds included
the distribution of books, food hampers, and toiletries. Many volunteers devoted
quality time to reading to sick children in hospital and stocking the hospital
library with new books. Another profound quote Madiba has provided us with
is “We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to
do right.”
The premise of Madiba’s legacy is to entrench a philosophy of continuous social
responsibility within our society. Each time you get a new item of clothing, give
away something old. When you’re on a crowded train or bus, offer your seat to
an elderly, disabled or pregnant person. Simply say “I’m sorry” when you’re wrong. Encourage someone who seems despondent.
Ask someone “How are you really doing?” and then really pay attention to their response. Deliver a cooked meal to a family in
need. Volunteer your spare time to help out at a hospital, retirement home, and hospice or run workshops on basic job skills. Every
community needs to determine for itself what is needed to make it thrive; being enthusiastic in helping others so that they may attain
personal enrichment is a good place to start. Take Action. Inspire change. Make every day a Mandela Day!

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