In honor of Nelson Mandela, the community is asked to provide 67 minutes of service on the 18th of July for the 67 years Mandela dedicated to fighting for social justice. In honor of such an incredible man, I dedicated my day of service to sharing my knowledge of Mandela’s work in the crèche and painting the community center in Vrygrond.
While in the crèches we discussed who Mandela was and how he fought for equal rights. Students learned the history of South Africa, the importance of fairness and explored art by creating a South African Flag with cotton balls and paint. Throughout the day, the children continued to “Make the circle bigger, Mandela is the winner!”
Later I joined members from the Sozo organization in creating a mural in the Vrygrond community center. The teams worked together to create an image that represented the life in the township by incorporating images of the diversity, the Ubuntu ship and houses. Together we shared this experience of laughter, happiness, dancing, singing and painting. We hope the mural brings the community just as much joy as we had creating it.
Da’Keisha Allen
EDvance 2019 Summer South Africa Service Program 