On 18 July the nation and the world celebrates the birthday of the most revered statesman and the icon of the liberation struggle Nelson Mandela. On this day people from all walks of life are asked to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to community service and helping the needy and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) has come on board to be part of the activities.
The DRDLR, through its flagship programme, the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC), has embarked on a series of activities throughout the country as part of the Nelson Mandela Day, starting on 11 July and the activities will continue till 18 July. As NARYSEC is a youth programme, recruiting young people from rural areas, being involved in the Nelson Mandela activities, the NARYSEC participants are encouraged to play a critical positive role in their communities, especially in creating sustainable socio-economic development.
In all the provinces where the NARYSEC programme exists the schedule for their activities has been drawn starting on Monday 11 July in Limpopo. As with the nation at large the concerns will be for the frail and the vulnerable, that means the elderly, the sick, people with disabilities and children and the activities will range from renovation and cleaning of schools andclinics, painting and revitalisation of food gardening. In Mpumalanga the NARYSEC participants will link up with the DRDLR staff to serve lunch at a shelter for the homeless.
Life skills are part of the curriculum in the NARYSEC programme and their involvement in the Mandela Day activities fits well with their training.
Department of Rural Development and Land Reform on Mandela Day
