Today would have been Nelson Mandela’s 99^th Birthday, and while he is sadly no longer with us to celebrate this special occasion, his legacy and his contribution to humanity is celebrated across the world with Nelson Mandela Day!

18 July was declared Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009, by the UN General Assembly who wanted to officially recognise the contributions South Africa’s former President made to peace, freedom, gender equality, race relations, and human rights during his lifetime.

Just like the great man himself, Nelson Mandela Day is all about raising awareness, taking action, and inspiring change, and so this year the Nelson Mandela Foundation has dedicated this special day to ‘Action Against Poverty’. While the numbers vary from statistic to statistic, it is believed that over 10% of the world’s population still live in extreme poverty, with billions of people living on less than $2.50 USD per day.

In a statement on the Nelson Mandela Foundation website, it states, “Poverty stalks South Africa. It is at the root of malnutrition, stunting, poor educational outcomes, the skills deficit and unemployment, disease, the loss of dignity, and even anger and violence. We have to take action against poverty, and we have to work together to do that. Each of us can make every day a Mandela Day by choosing to do something sustainable that will help South Africa eradicate poverty and ensure we each realise the ideal of a dignified life.”

If you would like to support #ACTIONAGAINSTPOVERTY and make a difference in the world, today is most definitely the day to do it! Head on over to the Mandeladay.com website and find out how you can contribute.  A little goes a long way when it comes to fighting against poverty, and if we make a joint effort – just imagine what we could achieve!

As the great man himself once said, “It always seems impossible until its done”.

We couldn’t agree more Madiba! Happy Birthday!