Yesterday I had a great day at work. It was Nelson Mandela's birthday. In South Africa, it is a HUGE celebration. This is the description giving on the Mandela Day website: The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good. Ultimately it seeks to empower communities everywhere. "Take Action; Inspire Change; Make Every Day a Mandela Day." To take part in Mandela Day, it is asked that everyone do something to help make change for at least 67 minutes. The 67 is in reference to the number of years Nelson Mandela was been fighting for social justice.

Here at Empilweni, we celebrated Mandela Day but helping one of our clients and her family. A couple weeks ago we went to visit this family on a home visit. We were about to terminate the case, but first wanted to assess the living situation. What we found was unimaginable. The family is living in extreme poverty. I have never seen something quite like it. The fortunate part is that they child has a great family which provides a lot of love. The problem is that due to health and transportation issues, the parents are currently not able to work. Empilweni contacted Social Development (which is like social services in the states). Together, Empilweni, Social Development, and a few other organizations agreed to make this our Mandela Day project. Tons of food, blankets, toiletries, and other essential items were provided. Environmental Affairs plans to help rebuild the house and Social Development plans to help the parents with employment. There were about 40 people that took part in the project. There was so much love in the community; I have never been a part of something quite like it. Everyone was singing and dancing and it was obvious how excited everyone was about making a difference in this family's life (I have already posted pictures and will post videos soon).

Overall Mandela Day was a wonderful Experience. I truly saw what can happen when a community comes together with a common goal in mind. It was also great to spend the day with my co-workers outside of the office. I am slowly starting to feel like part of the Empilweni family.