Durban – As Mandela Day approaches, the DO MORE FOUNDATION is looking on South Africans to take motion for younger youngsters by serving to to construct climate-resilient early studying or Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in underserved communities.
Mandela Day is widely known yearly on 18 July in honour of former president and worldwide statesman Nelson Mandela.
This 12 months’s Mandela Day marketing campaign centres on one highly effective thought: “A greater local weather future begins with the youngsters. And this transformation begins with play.”
As local weather change intensifies, South Africans are experiencing extra frequent heatwaves, floods, and droughts, and younger youngsters are notably weak to the impacts.
Many under-resourced ECD centres function in excessive warmth with out shade or clear water, with poor infrastructure that may’t assist youngsters’s development, well being, or security.
“This Mandela Day, your contribution goes far past infrastructure; it’s an funding in a toddler’s future,” says Warren Farrer, CEO on the DO MORE FOUNDATION.
“We’re calling on South Africans to return along with objective and compassion to assist create secure, nurturing areas the place youngsters can be taught, play and develop, even because the local weather adjustments round them.”
Change Starts with Play this Mandela Day
Founded in 2017, the DO MORE FOUNDATION has constructed a strong collective of partnerships throughout South Africa, at all times inserting younger youngsters on the focus of its efforts.
Last 12 months its ‘Mandela Day of Play’ marketing campaign noticed over 25 enterprise companions and 500 volunteers come collectively to improve 192 ECD centres and enhancing the play areas for 9 600 younger youngsters.
This Mandela Day, the Foundation invitations the general public, corporates and group companions to assist a nationwide drive to rework early studying centres in 9 rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal, North-West, Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo with upgrades corresponding to:
- Safe, shaded play areas to guard youngsters from warmth
- Drought-resistant timber
- Access to wash water by means of water harvesting kits
- Solar-powered home equipment, like followers and lights
- Age-appropriate local weather play packs to show season, local weather and climate patterns
- Climate schooling and coaching for ECD practitioners
Create a Climate Resilience Play Pack for Young Children
As a part of the marketing campaign, company volunteers will spend their 67 minutes assembling Climate Resilience Play Packs, that are interactive video games that educate two- to five-year-olds about climate, seasons and primary local weather change ideas in a hopeful, age-appropriate approach.
“Early childhood is such a strong time to start out constructing consciousness and inspiring proactive behaviours,” says Dr Jessica Ronaasen, Advocacy and Innovation Lead on the DO MORE FOUNDATION.
“When we assist academics, mother and father and caregivers to introduce on a regular basis local weather actions corresponding to saving water, defending timber or staying secure in excessive climate, we’re serving to to boost a technology that’s extra related to their surroundings and extra ready for the longer term.”
Sponsor a Climate Resilience Kit for an ECD Centre
For these unable to volunteer in particular person, the DO MORE FOUNDATION is providing numerous sponsorship alternatives, ranging from R67 for a Climate Resilience Play Pack to a full improve of an ECD centre with climate-adaptive instruments and infrastructure.
Sponsorships will remodel an under-resourced ECD centre right into a safer, cooler, extra joyful area for studying and play.
“ECD centres are sometimes the center of their communities. Practitioners do unbelievable work, usually with little or no assist,” says Jabu Mthembu-Dlamini, Community Programmes Lead on the DO MORE FOUNDATION.
“By upgrading these areas, we’re defending youngsters and displaying communities that local weather motion can start proper the place they’re.”
The DO MORE FOUNDATION’s 2025 Mandela Day marketing campaign is a rallying name to each South African: to do extra for younger youngsters, to do extra for the planet, and to do extra collectively.
For companies, organisations, and people desirous about sponsoring the DO MORE FOUNDATION’s Mandela Day campaign, go to the web site or contact their Fundraising Coordinator on [email protected] to associate.
