Help us educate 158 African Angels in South Africa

African Angels is based in Nelson Mandela's home province, the Eastern Cape of South Africa.  The children who attend our school are of Xhosa background, as was Nelson Mandela.  

Nelson Mandela was known by many names, one of the wonderful nuances about living in South Africa.

Nelson - the name given to him on his first day at school by his teacher, Miss Mdingane. 

At the time it was customary to give African children English names, as a legacy of the colonial days in which the rulers could not often pronounce African names. No one knows why Miss Mdingane chose the name Nelson, although Mandela suggested in his autobiography that he was given the name Nelson after the British sea captain Lord Nelson.

Rolihlahla - his birth name, given to him by his father. In his native language of Xhosa it means “pulling the branch of a tree”, but colloquially it means “troublemaker”.

Mandela - his family surname.

Madiba - the name of the clan of which Mandela is a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name.

Tata - in Xhosa, the language of the Madiba tribe, the word means “father”, but it is a term of endearment given to him by many South Africans regardless of their age.

Dalibhunga – the name he was given aged 16, after undergoing Xhosa initiation. It means “creator or founder of the council”. The correct use of this name when greeting Mandela was “Aaah! Dalibhunga”.

Mandela Day is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an impact. The Mandela Day campaign message is: ... In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly formally declared 18 July to be "Nelson Mandela International Day". (Wikipedia 2019)

African Angels was supported by a local campaign run by MHG Property Consultants, called Tins for Tummies.  It is hard for children to learn if they are hungry, and many of our learners do not get enough to eat on a daily basis.  African Angels provide a hot meal in the middle of each day for each child, and MHG, together with Lilyfontein School, Vincent Park Shopping Centre, Crossways SPAR and St Christophers collected tinned and non-perishable food that was donated on Mandela Day.

It takes a village to raise a child.  This Mandela Day we saw a village come together to feed our children.

We are especially grateful to Natelie of MHG Properties who initiated and drove the Tins for Tummies campaign.

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