GIFT-bombing a friend or carrying out a random act of kindness today will not only put a smile on someone’s face, but will also mean that you have participated in World Kindness Day.
The day is celebrated annually on November 13 and gives people an excuse to do something good.
Besides being a positive action, kindness has been directly linked to good health, with the act causing a release of the feel-good hormone oxytocin into your body. Oxtocin helps protect your heart by lowering blood pressure.
“It’s not just the apple that will keep the doctor away but kindness too,” forgood chief executive Andy Hadfield said. Forgood (www.forgood.co.za) is an online social platform which connects people to causes.
“Giving back and doing good is a global trend. It has become integral to work culture, with employees putting it high up on their list of work-satisfaction criteria,” he said.
Hadfield’s sentiment is echoed by Trialogue, a corporate sustainability business which estimated that R8.2billion in corporate social investments were contributions by local businesses in the 2014 fiscal year.
These findings are supported by The Charities Aid Foundation, which listed South Africa as the fifth highest climber on the World Giving Index last year, with 4.5 million additional South Africans having given up their time to do good over the 2013 survey period.
“Social activism is growing in South Africa. It’s no longer just about me and how I will benefit, but about how all of us can benefit.
“The recent #FeesMustFall campaign is the perfect example of active social citizenship and it’s just the start,” Hadfield said.
Described as a social market place where skills, goods, services and information can easily be offered and requested, forgood is a central hub for individuals, groups and causes who want to become more socially active.
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