Khayelitsha, Cape Town. For AMANDLA’s U16 boys at the Chris Campbell Memorial Field the 2011 Human Rights Day on March 21st was dedicated to the overarching theme ‘Human Rights Responsibilities’. AMANDLA’s aim to raise awareness about the appreciation of human rights as well as the acknowledgement of individual and communal responsibilities was the determining factor for AMANDLA to devote this day to the upliftment of the local community. Two schools in the township Khayelitsha were chosen for 100 boys aged 13 to 16 to weed the garden, collect rubbish, repair window frames, water plants and much more. These activities gave the youth the chance to show their appreciation for the right to education and at the same time to remind them of their responsibility to create a productive and clean living and learning environment for everybody.

The community outreach projects were followed by an interactive lunch, engaging the boys in small group discussions around the topic of the day, the importance of community service and how it applies to Human Rights Day. The discussions resulted in each group creating a poster about the rights they are proud to have and the responsibilities that go alongside them.

The day ended with a fun 5-a-side football tournament. Overall the celebratory activities of the South African Human Rights Day gave the youth a unique opportunity to give back to their community, to create a clean and safe environment and to develop a sense of ownership and camaraderie through volunteering.

Background of Human Rights Day in South Africa:

South Africa's Human Rights Day, 21 March – declared International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by the UN – serves as an annual reminder of the Sharpeville tragedy on March 21, 1960, when thousands of black South Africans took to the streets to peacefully protest against the pass books, a law put in place by the Apartheid regime, that restricted black Africans from going into certain areas. During these protests 69 unarmed people were shot dead by the police, most of them in the back while fleeing and up to 180 were injured.