The Turkish Embassy and Maarif Foundation donated boxes of toiletries to South Africa on Monday to commemorate International Nelson Mandela Day.

‘‘We donated parcels of toiletries to Leratong Hospital, together with a number of other embassies," Ambassador Ayşegül Kandaş told Anadolu Agency (AA).

The United Nations in 2009 designated July 18 as a day to celebrate Mandela's birthday and also to commemorate the fight against racism and apartheid.

To honor Mandela and his selfless contributions to humanity, South Africans from all walks of life dedicated 67 minutes of their time to volunteer for good causes.

The 67 minutes spent helping the less fortunate is a tribute to the number of years Mandela spent in public service.

South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation, Naledi Pandor, was joined by several heads of diplomatic missions and the international community in marking the day at Leratong Hospice in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.

At another event in Johannesburg, the Turkish Maarif Foundation donated parcels of toiletries to a children's center in Soweto at an event organized by the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL).

The parcels were handed over to officials by Nedim Kaya, the Turkish embassy's education counselor.

Speaking at another event in Diepsloot, Ambassador Kandaş told guests that Turkey supports women's empowerment and youth development and pledged support to the nongovernmental organization ACTION Support Center in its social cohesion projects in Diepsloot.

Kandaş said that as the Turkish Embassy, they were proud to be a part of three different events honoring the humanitarian legacy of Nelson Mandela.