Latest news with #MandelaDay
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
South African Cat Welfare Groups Join Forces to Promote Alley Cat Rescue's Feral Fix Challenge Across Country
MT. RAINIER, Md., June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cats of South Africa, a coalition of cat welfare groups in South Africa, is advancing Alley Cat Rescue's Feral Fix Challenge by recruiting participation from veterinarians across the country. The Feral Fix Challenge is a global event that invites veterinarians to get involved with community cat management by providing low-cost or free spay/neuter surgeries and rabies vaccinations for free-roaming cats. The goal of the Challenge is to save feral cats from shelter euthanasia, starvation, and disease by humane population management. The grand total of cats spayed or neutered as a result of the yearly Challenge so far is over 470,000. Cats of South Africa has designated July as "Feral Fix Month" to coincide with Mandela Day (July 18th) and the umbrella group is encouraging veterinarians to be part of the Feral Fix Challenge throughout July through multi-channel awareness campaigns. Veterinarians can join by Emailing feralfixsa@ Cats of South Africa co-founder, Niki Moore, explains the reason for its heightened Feral Fix efforts this year: "This last kitten season has been one of the worst ever for us…We are now seeing kittens in mid-winter, which we have never seen before. This is making sterilization more urgent than ever." Cats of South Africa's organizers believe that Mandela Day is a fitting time to focus on helping cats because Nelson Mandela was a champion of action for progress. He also was known to have a soft spot for cats. The 2025 cycle of the Feral Fix Challenge is already seeing a new record-breaking level of veterinarian participation, with clinics in the U.S. and several other countries, including South Africa, having officially registered. Alley Cat Rescue expects Cats of South Africa's Feral Fix Month to add a significant number of South African participants to that total and, consequently, have a greater positive impact on outdoor cats and cat populations in the country. Alley Cat Rescue is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of all cats. ACR advocates for humane nonlethal control of cats. For more information, visit their website View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Alley Cat Rescue, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Citizen
2 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Mobile outreach brings animal welfare, education to vulnerable communities
Pretoria east-based non-profit organisation Pet Community Outreach is changing lives across the metro by offering much-needed care to animals and education to their owners. The organisation is currently preparing for Mandela Day with plans to launch a brick-making initiative to build a cat café that will also benefit the local community. Founded in 2019 by Lori Erasmus, it operates both as a clinic in Pretoria east and a mobile service that travels to areas such as Laudium, Atteridgeville and Hammanskraal. 'So we are actually a mobile service, as well as having a clinic where we do operations,' said Erasmus. 'Wherever people need us, we go.' The idea for the organisation came from a gap Erasmus saw in veterinary care for poor communities. 'If you look at humans, those who can't afford private doctors go to public clinics. However, for animals, there's no such thing as a community hospital.' The organisation runs on donations and only asks for what people can afford to give. 'We are not funded. I have to phone people myself and ask for help, whether it's one bag of pet food, some syringes or a donation for sterilisation.' Their work extends beyond clinics and includes animal education at schools. The team has visited schools in Pretoria east and Hammanskraal to teach children about animal cruelty, responsible pet care, vaccination, and disease prevention. They also engage the children in creative hands-on activities like making bird feeders out of toilet roll tubes and crafting blankets that are donated back to the shelter. Pet Community Outreach also runs a shelter where they care for over 200 cats rescued from abuse, neglect or abandonment. Erasmus said they try to focus on the positive side of animal welfare and what can be done to improve conditions, instead of dwelling on the cruelty they often witness. In the meantime, they are appealing to the public for help, especially in the form of top-loader washing machines, pet food, blankets, and basic veterinary supplies. 'We're doing the best we can with what we have,' said Erasmus. 'Even the smallest donation helps us make a big difference.' Their impact has also reached people outside of animal care. Catherine Keyworth, who runs the Arcadia City Improvement District, shared how Pet Community Outreach stepped in when they needed them. Keyworth said they assisted them when they found a family living with 27 cats and two dogs in dire conditions. 'I contacted 14 organisations. Lori was the only one who responded,' she said. 'Her team treated, sterilised, and rehomed the animals. They even returned twice to help catch the remaining ones. It made a massive difference.' Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
eNCA
4 days ago
- General
- eNCA
Ladles of Love launches 2025 Mandela Day campaign
JOHANNESBURG - With Mandela Day just around the corner, leading hunger relief organisation, Ladles of Love, is launching its 2025 Mandela Day campaign. The theme is 'Make Every Day a Mandela Day and Feed the Future.' WATCH | Nelson Mandela Day | One act of kindness goes a long way The aim is to fight child food poverty through large-scale volunteerism and purpose-driven partnerships. The founder and CEO of Ladles of Love, Danny Diliberto, joined eNCA to discuss the initiative.
IOL News
4 days ago
- General
- IOL News
The Hangout: A (caring) bridge over troubled water
Today could be one of my favourite days of the year, right next to the International Day of Happiness, which is celebrated throughout the world on 20 March- but was actually established by the UN General Assembly on 28 June 2012. The International Day of Happiness aims to help people around the world realise the importance of happiness in their lives. I mean, we all know it's important, but sometimes it just feels a little harder to find- or sometimes even impossible. Sigh. It's the little things, though, and that's why today is so important too. It's World Caring Day today, and it was only made official in 2022. I know I harp on about spreading kindness pretty often, but I think it's so important- it can change lives like a domino effect. I also think that, with the amount of stress and struggle out there right now, we forget to be a bit more understanding and a little more compassionate. And honestly, that's totally understandable if you've just hit seven ginormous potholes in 300 metres, your 19th friend has emigrated, your fridge has just packed up, and your boss can't pay you on time. Stuff is hard. And it's getting harder. But that smile you share with a stranger in the grocery store, or that half a sandwich you give to the guy at the traffic light or stop street- it helps. It all helps. And we have to try to remember that, no matter what we're going through, someone else out there is going through worse. That little bit of love you give today might just come back to you like a boomerang tomorrow. I don't think you should ever give just to get something in return- but I'm pretty sure that's how karma works, isn't it? So- World Caring Day! What are you going to do today to celebrate it? I think it should be as important as any other big day. A public holiday even (haha kidding)! Do something, no matter how big or small, to brighten your own life- or someone else's. Be kind to yourself. Show yourself a little love. Or treat someone to a surprise, like it's Easter or Valentine's Day. We all try to do our 67 minutes for Mandela Day, so why not this too? I'm sure Madiba would be pretty happy to know there are even more days when people lend a helping hand and show a little extra kindness. World Caring Day traces its roots back to 7 June 1997, inspired by the brief but meaningful nine-day life of baby Brighid. Born prematurely, Brighid's journey sparked something powerful- Sona Mehring, a software engineer and family friend, created the very first CaringBridge website to keep loved ones informed and connected. Through this site, Brighid's family received not only updates but also an outpouring of love, support, and comfort when they needed it most. It was like an online support group- at a time when social media didn't even exist yet! What started as a simple act of care quickly grew into something much bigger- a global community called CaringBridge. This non-profit is all about bringing families and friends together during life's toughest health journeys, offering a space filled with love, comfort, and support. Since 2021, around 45 million people from across the globe have visited CaringBridge. Every hour, more than 1,900 heartfelt messages of hope and encouragement are shared with loved ones through the site. Maybe you're also in need of a little care, inspiration, or advice right now- so head over to Go for that meal you can't really afford. Tell the cashier she looks lovely today. Take yourself to the movies and switch off from all your problems for an hour or two. Or take a walk in the park with your phone on silent. Be kind to yourself and to others today- and maybe that kindness will catch on and carry over into tomorrow, and the next day too. Now, I'm already getting excited for National Hug & High Five Day, which is celebrated in the U.S. on 12 September… but I'll be celebrating it here anyway. Who's with me? Can I just say yay.
eNCA
28-05-2025
- General
- eNCA
NGO tackles child food poverty in underserved communities
JOHANNESBURG - On world hunger day Ladles of Love non-profit organisaton (NGO) is launching its 2025 Mandela Day campaign, focusing on supporting preschools. This imitative will be implemented in under-served communities to tackle child food poverty. The campaign aims to make every day a Mandela Day for children in need. Founder and CEO of Ladles of Love Danny Diliberto says food poverty is a pressing issue in the country where children are found to be eating food which is not proper for their nutrition. He also noted a gab within under-served communities wherein there is a lack of knowledge regarding food that nourishes the body.
