The countdown to Christmas has begun, but this year we’re counting something far more meaningful than presents under the tree. We’re counting kindness… and South Africa has been challenged to reach one million good deeds.
If you only have a minute: Good Things Guy and The Helpers have launched 1 Million Good Things Before Christmas, a nationwide challenge encouraging South Africans to complete one million acts of kindness before Christmas. From helping a neighbour to supporting a charity, every good deed counts. Building towards World Kindness Day on 13 November, the campaign hopes to turn small acts of kindness into a national movement, proving that we can all play a part in making South Africa a little better.
South Africa (15 October 2026) – What if South Africa ended the year with one million more reasons to smile? Good Things Guy and The Helpers are challenging South Africans to make it happen with the launch of 1 Million Good Things Before Christmas, a national campaign encouraging people to collectively complete one million acts of kindness and helping before Christmas.
Building towards World Kindness Day on 13 November, the campaign aims to celebrate the good happening across the country and inspire more people to make a positive difference in their communities, workplaces, schools and everyday interactions.
The idea is simple… every act of kindness counts. From helping a stranger or supporting a local charity to checking in on a neighbour or making someone’s day a little brighter, the campaign is a reminder that anyone can make a difference. You don’t need money, influence or a large platform to do something meaningful. You simply need to take the first step.
Brent Lindeque, founder of Good Things Guy, believes that the campaign can help South Africans turn their desire to make a difference into collective action.
“Every single day, there are South Africans doing extraordinary things for complete strangers, and I believe there are millions more who want to help but don’t know where to start. That’s why we’re launching 1 Million Good Things Before Christmas. You don’t need money or a massive platform. You just need to care enough to take that first step. Imagine if millions of South Africans chose kindness? We might not be able to change everything overnight, but we can change something for someone. And if we do that together, imagine what we could achieve? That’s the South Africa I believe in, and the South Africa I want us to build, together.”
What counts as a good thing?
The campaign is designed to make doing good accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background or financial circumstances. A good thing doesn’t need to be extraordinary to count; small, everyday actions can have a meaningful impact on someone else’s life.
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The principle is simple: if an action helps another person or makes a positive difference, it can be part of the movement.
By encouraging people to look for opportunities to help in their everyday lives, the campaign aims to turn kindness from a feel-good idea into something people actively practise, celebrate and share.
Introducing The Helpers
At the centre of the initiative is The Helpers, a platform designed to connect people who want to make a difference with opportunities to help.
For many South Africans, the willingness to contribute is there, but knowing where to begin can be a barrier. The Helpers aims to make that first step easier by helping people discover charities, organisations and causes where their time, skills or support can be put to good use.
The platform will also feature a live counter tracking participation in the campaign, giving South Africans a shared way to see their collective contribution grow as more people choose to get involved.
Every act adds momentum to the challenge, demonstrating how individual actions can become something much bigger when people participate together.
Turning World Kindness Day into a movement
World Kindness Day on 13 November will be a key moment in the campaign, encouraging South Africans to embrace kindness not just as a once-off gesture, but as something that can become part of everyday life.
The campaign will build towards the day and continue through November and into the festive season, inviting individuals, families, schools, workplaces and businesses to get involved.
South Africans will be encouraged to share their good deeds, invite friends and family to participate, and inspire others to do the same. The goal isn’t to compete over who can do the most, but to demonstrate what becomes possible when more people choose to help.
One million good things starts with one
As the countdown to Christmas begins, the challenge invites South Africans to make kindness part of their everyday routines. Whether an act takes five minutes or involves a longer-term commitment, every contribution can help move the country closer to its shared goal.
The campaign recognises that no single act can solve every challenge, but believes that millions of small actions can make a meaningful collective difference. It offers an opportunity for people to focus on what they can do, celebrate the generosity around them and help create more positive stories worth sharing.
“One million acts of kindness may sound like an impossible number, until you realise that every smile, every shared meal and every bottle of cold water offered to a stranger on a hot day counts. Kindness doesn’t have to be grand to be meaningful. It simply has to begin. And when enough of us choose to do one small thing for someone else, those little acts become a movement capable of changing the world,” added Tyler Vivier, editor of Good Things Guy.
The challenge is now on: one million good things before Christmas.
South Africans can find opportunities to help, get involved and follow the campaign’s progress via https://thehelpers.co.za/
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