7 things you can do to make a difference, inspire change for #MandelaDay

To honour former South African president Nelson Mandela’s first birthday since his passing in December 2013, people from around the country, and the world, are taking action and inspiring change for the better of society.

Hopefully, you’ve already got something planned to contribute to the greater good of society or a specific community in need, but we thought it fitting to round-up some savvy ways that would help get you in the mood.

Hashtag for change

Use #MandelaDay and tag @southafrica to share your Instagram photies with the rest of the world. Also, follow the hashtag on Instagram and get motivated by what everyone else is doing.

Donate food for those in need. Take Instagrams or post Twitter snaps of your meals and use the hashtag #mealforameal. Virgin Mobile will be donating a meal for every hashtag tweeted. It’s so simple, you have to ask yourself, why not?

On a similar note, an app called Feedie in partnership with The Lunchbox Fund helps restaurants donate R2.50 for every meal posted. Clever right? The restaurant gets recognition that it supports a social cause.

Crowdfund for the greater good

South African crowdfunding site Thundafund has a bunch of great community projects currently raising money. You can donate to help plant trees by supporting Rehabilitree for instance. You can also help kiddies from Khayelitsha learn how to code by supporting Creative Code or help light up communities and street art by backing #AnotherLightUp (see below).

Take a look at the Thundafund site — there’s a bunch of awesome projects you can help out with.

Spread the word to inspire change
Tweet and share Madiba’s legacy to encourage change around the globe. GoodReads has rounded up a page filled top to bottom with inspirational Mandela quotes.

Be inspired with a Google doodle
Google’s gone interactive for Mandela day, creating a doodle which shares some of Madiba’s most memorable quotes in a beautiful illustrated clip which follows the history of South Africa.

The person who designed the doodle, Katy Wu, says that she hopes “it inspires people to learn from Nelson Mandela and his way of life, to be kind, to understand, and to respect other people and our differences.” You can share the story using Google Plus, Facebook or Twitter.

Buy artwork that was painted in 67 minutes
Buy a piece of art for R250 from Unsung Art and the proceeds will go to charity.

Buy ART this #MandelaDay. For R250, you can get a once off piece of art & all proceeds will go to charity. pic.twitter.com/qewxcs4Nsu

— Unsung Art (@UnsungArt) July 15, 2014

Get your startup off the ground

Businesses create jobs, contribute to the economy and, very importantly, solve problems!

You can pitch at the Seed Engine Mandela Day competition which would help get your startup exposure, funding and mentorship. Or, if you’re in Gauteng, South Africa, you can pitch your startup in 67 seconds with SAB’s KickStart initiative.

Web development company MyVigo is giving away 67 free sites for a year to the first business owners who sign-up on 18 July.

Go watch Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom for free

If you’re in South Africa, SterKinekor is giving you the chance to watch Idris Elba play Madiba in Long Walk to Freedom for free in SterKinekor theatres.

Let us know what you’re up to today and over the weekend!