The Mandela Day campaign was observed in 146 countries worldwide through partnerships with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and Brand SA. This is a significant increase of 20 countries compared to 2014.

More than 900 Mandela Day projects were registered on the campaign’s website, with more than 10 000 other activities registered on institutional partner websites.

Activities focussed on four main themes: Education and Literacy, Food Security, Shelter and Participation and Volunteerism. These pillars still have strong relevance to the Millennium Development Goals.

A full review of the Mandela Day programme was initiated during the reporting period.

Efforts have been made to focus on activities with sustainable impact which improve the lives of marginalised communities. These initiatives include:

• Trek4Mandela in partnership with Imbumba Foundation which raised more than R24-million for more than 160 000 girls. This project is now in its fourth year
• 67 Blankets for Mandela involved ordinary citizens knitting and crocheting blankets for needy communities
• Stop Hunger Now, in which Tigerbrands and Vodacom packed more than 1.5-million food packs. This project is now in its fourth year
• Habitat for Humanity built 67 homes in Cape Town
• On 18 July 2015, posts on the Nelson Mandela Facebook page had a massive reach of 1 682 882. The page also received a total of 7 020 ‘‘likes’’ during the day
• The Foundation hosted a Mandela Day Marathon in partnership with the uMgungundlovu Municipality at the capture site in Pietermaritzburg. More than 13 000 runners participated. This included 75 international entrants
• Kaya FM Relay for Mandela Day is an annual family event. More than two million listeners were reached and more than 10 000 people participated
• Operation Hydrate was launched in partnership with Lead SA in response to crippling drought conditions in South Africa

Two parallel processes were undertaken during the reporting period. An impact assessment of the Mandela Day campaign was commissioned and a new three-year programme is being developed.