July 18th Marks the UN’s Nelson Mandela Day but it is also the birthday of one of the greatest men in living history and Globe Trekker wishes a speedy recovery to one of the World’s most courageous public figures.

In his home country of South Africa, office workers, students, soldiers and ordinary citizens marked Mandela Day by sprucing up orphanages, painting walls at schools and delivering food to the poor (Reuters).

The Mandela Day campaign message is simple: Mr Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. The message of this day is that everyone donates 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community.

Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals – for people everywhere – to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did.

For more information and to place your pledge visit http://www.mandeladay.com/static/how-do-i-get-involved

To find out more about Mr Mandela’s fight to freedom why not check out our Globe Trekker Guide to South Africa with Justine Shapiro and if you are working on a school project or college essay about Nelson Mandela or his years at Robbin Island, then check out our mini-guide ‘The Apartheid Prison of Robben Island“ as well as an insight into living in a Soweto township.

Zaynin Kanji