Buy a Bangle, Change a Life.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

For close to three years we’ve dedicated many hours to the 46664 Bangle project – and we’ve done our best to keep promoting the good work of this inspiring initiative in support of the 46664 campaign of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

It requires consistent focus for a Blog to be interesting and useful, and we’re no longer able to maintain a regular blog feed for the 46664 Bangle on this particular web site.

This blog is rich with content on Madiba, 46664, the 46664 Bangle, news from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and many humanitarian and HIV AIDS-related stories and updates. Feel free to browse our archives and enjoy the wealth of information!

We’re active on Facebook and Twitter – please do join our conversations there and talk to others about this great initiative; encouraging others to buy a 46664 Bangle.

Also … remember Nelson Mandela Day – not only on July 18, which is Nelson Mandela’s birthday – but consider what you can do every day, in honor of Madiba's service to humanity and his legacy of social justice.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sometimes it's just too easy to get caught up in what's wrong with the world. Yes, every part of our planet needs help in some way - poverty, disease, lack of education, human rights, political freedom, protecting the environment - they're all major global issues which deserve our serious attention.

Today on Thanksgiving in the US, we're focusing on the positive. In no particular order (sounds like DWTS!), we're grateful for:

1. Access to clean drinking water with no worry about cholera @PlanetWaterLive


2. The choice to use condoms and prevent HIV @talkHIV


3. The ability to get tested, learn our status & prevent HIV @HIVictorious


4. Our political freedom and democracy @hrw


5. Those who make a difference and won't accept the status quo @changemakers


6. Organizations like @dosomething who plant seeds of social responsibility amongst youth


7. Supporters who wear the 46664 Bangle and help create jobs for those in need


8. Individual voices like @bonostreetteam who volunteer their time to raise awareness of social issues


9. Sound logic, like "World Change Starts with Educated Children" @RoomtoRead


10. The #MDGs as a reminder of how lucky we are @WeCanEndPoverty
    

Make your own Thanksgiving list! It'll put a smile on your face and pack a little punch to that turkey stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving from the 46664 Bangle team in the US.

Special Edition 46664 Bangle for Auction at Ubuntu Education Fund Event

The Ubuntu Education Fund was founded when American, Jacob Lief, and South African, Banks Gwaxula, took on the challenge of providing vulnerable children access to education, encouraging their academic achievement.

This week at the New York gala fundraiser celebrating their 11th anniversary, a special edition, Mandela Day silver 46664 Bangle will be available for auction, supporting Ubuntu Education Fund’s efforts in South Africa.

Patron of the Ubuntu Education Fund, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, offered this definition of the word, Ubuntu: "It refers to gentleness, to compassion, to hospitality, to openness to others, to vulnerability, to be available to others and to know that you are bound up with them in the bundle of life … he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”

Happy 11th anniversary, Ubuntu Education Fund. Today, as you reach over 40,000 children in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with life-saving health and educational resources and services, thank you for living up to your name.

Make A Difference Day - October 23rd

It' s just over three months since Mandela Day on QJuly 18th - perfect timing to remember the ethos of the worldwide campaign for "ordinary people to do extraordinary things" and contribute in some way to their community.

October 23rd is Make A Difference Day in the US, the nation's largest day of service, and many of the messages echo those of the spirit of Mandela Day and of the 46664 Bangle initiative.

Wearing the official 46664 Bangle is a daily reminder of the power of individuals to help those in need. Make A Difference Day is a call to make that happen in your community on October 23rd. Last year, 3 million people volunteered to help in their communities on Make A Difference Day.

See here for inspiration on how to make a difference in the lives of others; not just on this day, but every day. Find out what's going on in your community, and how you can volunteer. Happy MDDAY from the 46664 Bangle team!

46664 Bangle and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

October 17th is World Poverty Day, and this year's theme is "From poverty to decent work: bridging the gap."

Could there be a more appropriate theme that relates directly to the 46664 Bangle project!

This year, the United Nations is focusing on sustainable models for economic stability through job creation. Through the small contribution of purchasing a 46664 Bangle, people around the world are supporting a project which creates employment for the less fortunate. The 46664 Bangle bracelet becomes a tangible reminder of global social issues; such as poverty, hunger, education and HIV AIDS prevention.

Every 46664 Bangle is handcrafted in South Africa, and even the packaging is made locally, to increase employment. Read these touching letters from people who have received income as a result of the 46664 Bangle project.

As the United Nations initiative reminds us,

"The campaign to make poverty history - a central moral challenge of our age - cannot remain a task for the few, it must become a calling for the many. On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, I urge everyone to join this struggle. Together, we can make real and sufficient progress towards the end of poverty." ~ United Nations Ex-Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, 17 October 2006".

46664 Bangle owners - wear your 46664 Bangle with extra pride on this day, knowing you have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Read more here about the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Nelson Mandela Foundation Makes Donation to Ebenezer Hannah Home

Boniswa Nyati hands over books to Ebenezer Hannah Home founder Shirley Merime

Continuing the spirit of Mandela Day, staff from the Nelson Mandela Foundation visited the Ebenezer Hannah Home outside Johannesburg, South Africa, to make a donation of clothing, shoes, toys, books, blankets and crockery.

These are the heartwarming stories we love to read about - organizations who do good work in their community, like the Ebenezer Hannah Home. The home was founded by Shirley Merime and houses 75 orphaned and abandoned children and 58 elderly people.

Shirley Merime expressed her gratitude and also thanked Mr Nelson Mandela for teaching South Africans not to have vengeance but to have love and forgiveness. She said: “Tata Mandela reached out for a better future and so that is what we are trying to teach our kids here.”

Source: The Nelson Mandela Foundation