Get involved this Mandela Day
Give what you can
“There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to helping others without expecting anything in return.” – Nelson Mandela
Mandela Day, celebrated annually on July 18th, is not just an ordinary commemoration of the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the iconic South African leader. It goes far beyond that, acting as a call to action, a reminder of our collective responsibility to strive for a more equitable, inclusive, and compassionate world.
By participating in Mandela Day, you become part of a transformative movement that empowers individuals to effect change in their communities and beyond. It provides an opportunity to engage in acts of kindness, volunteerism, and social activism, amplifying the values Mandela cherished—freedom, equality, and solidarity.
Mandela Day encourages you to explore your passions, lend your skills, and ignite your potential to shape a better future for all.
Please see our wishlist below:
- Tablets or android phones for CHOC Houses for team to download Feed the Monster and other age-related apps to support learning and development.
- Install a cognitive wall to assist with learning and healing through play.
- Provide perishable and non-perishable food items for meals at the CHOC Houses.
- Provide food hampers to address malnutrition in the community home.
- Provide toiletries, colouring books, and crayons to include in CHOC Carebags for newly diagnosed beneficiaries.
- Detergent, cleaning, and gardening equipment.
- Laptops for staff.
- Scrubs for staff (Psychosocial Staff and House Staff).
For other items please don’t hesitate to contact our regions across South Africa.
The power to create meaningful change lies within each of us. Mandela Day provides a unique platform to channel that power and collectively work towards a world that upholds the values of compassion, equality, and justice. By embracing the spirit of Mandela and dedicating just a fraction of our time to acts of service, we can sow seeds of transformation, making a lasting impact on individuals, communities, and societies. So, join the Mandela Day movement today, and let us together forge a brighter future for all of humanity.
Find the region closest to you here
Meet Ma Rose, House Assistant – CHOC House Centurion
A story of Hope
Rose Mandlazi’s journey started with CHOC Northern Region in 2007 when she joined as a part-time house assistant at the CHOC House. She vividly remembers entering the CHOC House for the first time, realising that it is a place where children are diagnosed with cancer or life-threatening blood disorders, diseases she didn’t even know existed. Initially, this realisation made her emotional, but something kept “pushing her” to keep returning to the CHOC House. She had a strong feeling that she belonged with CHOC.
Cooking with Auntie Minnie, the house mother, at the CHOC House, which was located on Trouw Street at that time, made her feel energised. “It’s something I enjoy. In the kitchen, my heart warms up because I know I can do something that the children will eat and enjoy.” Walking the journey with the children and having the power to cook a meal that they would try to eat after receiving chemotherapy, even though it was difficult for them to enjoy a meal, Rose ensured that her meals were prepared with so much love that it made a difference. She observed how her cooking made the “mommy’s journey easier and took away a bit of their stress” while they stayed at the CHOC house.
The kitchen is the place where friendships are formed, and she recalls an 11-year-old boy who was part of the CHOC House family for almost two years. When the boy was admitted to the hospital, Rose received a phone call from him asking for his favourite “CHOC House noodles.” Since the boy didn’t want to eat in the ward, the nursing staff were happy to see Rose arrive with a special meal for “her child.”
Having been a part of CHOC for 16 years, Rose said, “CHOC is my calling and not just a payslip at the end of each month.”
Thank you, Rose, for going the extra mile and for keeping more than hope alive for these brave young ones.
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CHOC’s Nutritional Support Programme
Why is nutrition so important?
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Diet and nutrition are very important in childhood because children are growing and developing. Good nutrition is particularly important when a child has cancer because the child’s growing body also has to cope with the various treatments and their side effects. The focus should be on preventing or treating cancer-related malnutrition, as prevention is always better than cure.
Not all children react to cancer treatment in the same way. Many children have no problem with nutrition – they are able to eat enough and have the strength and energy to maintain their normal levels of activity. However, some children lose weight, grow more slowly, frequently feel tired or irritable and get infections more easily.
Food parcels form part of CHOC’s practical support programme. It is a temporary provision of assistance for families in a desperate situation who cannot provide for their family’s basic needs. A CHOC recommended food parcel makes provision for weekly / monthly meals for a family as a form of “social relief of distress”. It is recommended by and based on the psychosocial assessment of a social worker / counsellor / social auxiliary worker. In some cases, food vouchers are distributed instead of food parcels. We handed out 868 food parcels and 155 food vouchers. The value of the food vouchers were R92,000 and 5104 people benefitted from this nutritional support.
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Thank you to FNB Structured Finance Solutions
On behalf of our children and parent beneficiaries, board, management and staff I thank the FNB Structured Financial Solutions unit for your overwhelming support towards CHOC and its beneficiaries.
The funding was utilised towards:
- The installation of a outdoor stair lift at CHOC Port Elizabeth house: This has been successfully installed and will accommodate our outpatient beneficiaries with disabilities. The five-bedroom house serves 13 beneficiaries per night attending treatment at Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital.
- Provision of 10 food parcels for beneficiaries attending treatment at Frere hospital addressing malnutrition within the childhood cancer household. The food parcels were delivered on 5 June 2023 and in the process of distribution.
Thank you Lancet Laboratories
Thank you so much for your generous sponsorship and for being involved in our annual CHOC Golf Day in East London. Your generosity and support are really appreciated and ensures that we are able to raise funds to continue supporting children and teens with cancer and their families and to keep more than hope alive.
 
Thank you Gerber Goldschmidt Group
| We thank the selfless team of Gerber Goldschmidt Group for their determination in gifting hope and dignity to our children. At the teams recent Centenary Dinner, shareholders and partners generously donated towards our Comprehensive Child and Family Support Programme serving 4500+ beneficiaries. We thank you and welcome you to our CHOC family. |
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