Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.
– Nelson Mandela
On Thursday, December 5th, Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95 from a lung infection – remnant, many say, from his bouts of tuberculosis during his 27 year imprisonment for anti-Apartheid activity. Mandela’s death sparked a worldwide period of mourning and appreciation for the immense legacy that his ideology, struggle, and words left behind for today and tomorrow’s generation as we continue on his path for equality and justice for every human being.
Today, as South Africans and so many admirers from around the world gather for Madiba’s (Mandela’s tribe name) memorial, Bread and Water for Africa® would like to honor the life of Nelson Mandela, one of the great global leaders of our time. While the beginnings of Mandela’s dream for his country were realized when apartheid was abolished in South Africa and the country began its transition to democracy, inequality takes many forms and is still widely prevalent on the continent. For much of Africa, economic progress towards prosperity and equality has been a far slower struggle than the dramatic overthrows of colonial and racist regimes.
Nelson Mandela lived for, in his own words, the “ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities”. Consistent with that ideal, Bread and Water for Africa® has been working for over 15 years to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in Africa, especially for children – the future of the continent.
We believe that Africa’s road out of poverty and onward to self-sufficiency is through its own people, particularly its children. It is why we support sustainable entrepreneurship projects that help impoverished widows and orphans and many families across Africa.
To all South Africans and many nations across the globe, we are with you in spirit and mission at this difficult time of mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela.
Learn more about Nelson Mandela here:
Live-stream of today’s service at Soweto: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10507394/Nelson-Mandela-memorial-service-live.html
A Biography by the Nelson Mandela Foundation: http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography
For locals – a list of activities to honor Mandela and a link to his speech at Howard University’s Convocation: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/local-news/dc-will-mourn-nelson-mandela-with-week-of-tributes.php
A trailer of the new movie based on his book, “A Long Walk to Freedom”, which released for the first time on the day of Mandela’s passing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAglZjX3HOk
A link (unaffiliated) to the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom: http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-Freedom-Connections-Library/dp/0030565812
His biography on the Nobel Prize website: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/mandela-bio.html
An interactive timeline of his life: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10145496/Nelson-Mandela-interactive-timeline.html
