Mandela Day: HOFNA, Mandela Washington Fellows, mold youths on value of service

Hope for the Needy Association HOFNA Cameroon has commemorated the 2018 edition of the Nelson Mandela International Day with a call for young people to value and engage in service.

The Call was made in Bamenda Saturday July 21 by the Founder and Executive Director of HOFNA Cameroon Christelle Bay together with some Mandela Washington Fellows during a friendly football match for boys and girls as part of commemorative activities to mark the 2018 Nelson Mandela International Day.

According to the Founder of HOFNA, the choice of a gathering for young people with a football match was to allow them interact with and learn from each other as well as exercise their minds and bodies. The teams which were a mix of boys and girls the HOFNA leader explained “we didn’t want boys to play against girls. We brought both boys and girls together in each team and what we taught them was promoting diversity. We have told them that you grow by working with people whom you think are different from you when they are just like you.”  

 

“This day is particularly important this year because it should have been Mandela’s 100^th birthday. The YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) Network calls on YALI members to do something to leave their own legacy, to emulate Mandela’s life…” Christelle Bay said adding that also being her birthday “we choose this day to bring the young people together; we decided to celebrate it in our own way; we call it the YALI-selves event promoting service; we brought adolescents together..” 

 

 Prior to the football match, the youths engaged a couple of activities expected to improved their capacities in the areas of team building by Yembe Nfor of Yem’s Group with focus on collaboration, to achieve goals, self-esteem by Mirabel Ngong Founder of CEP Cameroon; a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellow, inner peace by Rev Fr Tche Francis Principal of St Paul’s College, respect for self, humility, honesty, and others.  

“The Mandeela Day to me is a significant day. Being Mandela Washington Fellow, I take the legacy of Mandela which inspires us a lot as young people to be servant leaders to the society not just going out every day or guiding people to do the things but serving being there to do something for society. It’s a day I look for ways that I can serve society more.” Mirabel Ngong noted as she explained the value of the Mandela Day to her. During her presentation on Self-esteem, the Founder of CEP Cameroon indicated that it was important to be positive about self thus putting self out to the society and over coming challenges. She encouraged the young people to be inspired by Mandela’s love for peace which can be used in individual lives for conflict resolution.

 

Blandine Chongwain a participating youth left the event ground inspired by “the presentations on self-esteem, the need for inner peace and building a positive team spirit.”

 The Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 marks 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela. The Centenary according to the UN Secretary General Antonio Gueteres provided an occasion to reflect on his life and legacy, and to follow his call to "make of the world a better place." Mandela the UN notes “embodied the highest values of the United Nations. One hundred years after his birth, Mandela’s example of courage and compassion continue to inspire the world.”
The Nelson Mandela Foundation dedicated this year's Mandela Day to Action Against Poverty, honouring Mandela's leadership and devotion to fighting poverty and promoting social justice for all.