Mia Mélange celebrating MANDELA DAY, 2019!

 

In celebration of MANDELA DAY this year, we decided to use our creative talents for good. Nelson Mandela loved children, so we spent some time making hand puppets that we will donate to a children's aftercare centre in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. 

"The true character of society is revealed in how it treats its children."
- Nelson Mandela

"Manenberg, one of the townships in the Cape Flats, is a hotspot of gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse, rape, unemployment and poverty. Half of the young generation have not finished school, and therefore have no chance to get a decent job. 

In June 2010, Fr. Wim Lindeque, then parish priest of the Catholic Church in Manenberg, together with dedicated parishioners and friends, established the Holy Family Child and Youth Development Centre, now known as Manenberg Aftercare Centre, during the FIFA World Cup to support children and young people in the community. The facilitators are all formerly unemployed members of the Manenberg community who now earn a small income through their work at the Centre, thus making a difference in their families and the broader Manenberg community.

Currently, about 150 children are enrolled in the programme. The project is made possible by financial assistance from private sponsors, without any governmental support or any single major funder."

Please read more about the centre here: manenbergcentre.org

If anyone would like to donate anything to the Manenberg Aftercare Centre, please contact us and we'll pass the message along, or contact the centre directly here. 

Donation ideas:

  • financial assistance
  • toys
  • stationery
  • contact us to find out if there is anything else they need specifically

You are welcome to drop donations off at Mia Mélange in Stellenbosch, or at the Waterfront, and we'll make sure they get delivered to the Manenberg Aftercare Centre. 

 

"It is music and dancing that make me at peace with the world."
- Nelson Mandela

Because Mandela loved music and dancing, we played some of Mandela's favourites, including a lot of Johnny Clegg's hits in celebration of his life after he sadly passed away two days ago.  

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."
- Nelson Mandela

Back to Blog