If you’re an admirer of Nelson Mandela, why not plan to step forward and show it?

In honour of his ‘inspiration and values’ the first Mandela Day, on 18 July 2009, urges people to donate 67 minutes of their time to help others. Sixty-seven is the number of years Mandela has committed to ‘the making of a just society.’

Lend-a-hand ideas suggested are: reading to the blind; walking a dog from a shelter or volunteering at your local police station or faith-based organisation.

The Mandela Day event will take place worldwide annually – so there’s plenty of time to plan ahead and join in next year.

46664, an HIV/AIDS/humanitarian charity (named after Mandela’s prison number while on Robben Island) and his Foundations, say: ‘The global call for action is for people to recognize their individual power to make an imprint and change the world around them.’

The day has been created to raise awareness of social issues and ‘inspire people to embrace Mr Mandela's values and make an imprint through service to their communities.’

For more information visit http://mandeladay.com/

Listen to a discussion of Mandela Day on Spotlight, a Specialised English programme, produced by Feba in partnership with Words of Hope and Back to God Ministries International.