Kazakh children celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day

"Can you spare 67 minutes of your time helping others?", asked the South African leader. The UN joins in, urging every person to mark this day and devote 67 minutes for socially useful activity. To work with the child, feed the hungry, take care of the environment or volunteer to help the hospital or local community center.

A delegation of the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Astana participated in today's celebration of Nelson Mandela's Birthday.

"Nelson Mandela International Day, established by the UN General Assembly in November 2009, is celebrated on 18 July every year in recognition of the contribution made by the former President of South Africa to peace and fight for freedom. Since then, we have celebrated this wonderful holiday in various countries. I would like to wish everyone peace and well-being," said Seipelo Thandeka Matthews, South African Ambassador to Kazakhstan, addressing the children and the plant employees.

The General Director of Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering LLP, Yerbol Salimov, in his turn noted: "Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison, did not give up his views and ideals. This man proved that education is important for personality development. It is education that made it possible for a peasant's daughter to become a doctor, a miner's son to be a mine director of and a farm laborer's child to turn into the President of the great nation.".

Celebrating this holiday, the boys and girls, invited by the non-governmental charity foundation "Nur Alem Qazaqstan", together with Mrs. Matthews and Y. Salimov planted young apple trees, danced, listened to African songs by the singers from that distant country. They were photographed in front of armored wheeled vehicles "Arlan" and armored personnel carriers "Barys 8x8". The children were even at the wheel of these armored vehicles. What is more, in memory of this day, they gladly left their fingerprints on the capsule of a future armored car "Arlan".