Mandela's Vision and Everyday Heroes

How do we accept a world without Nelson Mandela? There are few other human beings who embody the "love of humanity" to the extent Mandela did. He was the ultimate philanthropist. Even though we all knew his incredible life was coming to a close, accepting a world without this wonderful man is hard.

We are left with memories of a courageous life we followed and admired from afar. We saw a man walk out of prison defining reconciliation and forgiveness. We listened to so many of his inspiring words as he stubbornly defied the status quo, again and again. We sensed the joy in his face when he danced the ‘Madiba Jive’ surrounded by children.

Your support to Firelight conveys a special connection to Africa and its people, and an unquestionable endorsement of Mandela’s values. We are lucky to have lived during his lifetime and he will remain an inspiration and example to us all. And although there may not be another Mandela, we know that there are everyday heroes who often go unrecognized following in his footsteps. Heroes you support. The leaders of the organizations we fund.

A couple examples are, Moses Zulu in Zambia who built a small local child support organization into a province-wide initiative now serving thousands of children in hundreds of communities. Theopister Rodick Shoo in Tanzania who will not rest until school access is a reality for every child in her community.

As their work continues, it keeps Mandela’s vision for a better world with us. In honor of him, I salute their wonderfully stubborn drive to change their communities. I thank you for being a part of Firelight and for making sure we are able to support the unsung heroes of Africa.

Read previous blog posts about Mandela: Thinking of Mandela Happy 95th Mandela

You can support Firelight partners right now in Fund: Child Safety