Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in a prison on Robben Island in South Africa. What most people don’t know is that Madiba (as he is affectionately known in South Africa) spent 67 years in the fight against racism and poverty.

Nelson Mandela Robben Island

In 2002, Nelson Mandela used his day to launch his global HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign, 46664. In 2009, the success of the 46664 campaigns and celebrations evolved to what is now known as “Mandela Day”, a day in which people around the world dedicate 67 minutes to making the world a better place for all.

Click here are some activities to consider to celebrate this day:

Nelson Mandela

Ninety-two children from two villages where Nelson Mandela was raised were flown to Johannesburg to help him celebrate his birthday. He will be joined by 67 children from Mvezo, a village where Mandela was born and 25 from Qunu where he grew up. The children were taken to Mandela’s Johannesburg home where they sang him a birthday song.

Children Sing for Mandela

It will be the first Nelson Mandela International Day, as the United Nations passed a resolution on the day in November 2009, declaring 18 July an international day set aside for humanitarian activities. It is the first time the organisation has dedicated an international day to an individual, recognising him as a symbol of hope for those who are oppressed and marginalized.

[*I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson Mandela*]