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For donations under €300, tax offices usually accept a bank statement as proof. You also received a donation receipt with your confirmation email. You can request it again here by email. Be sure to use the same email address you used for your donation.

What is the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar?

The 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar is a unique way to support a wide range of social and environmental projects worldwide. For example, one calendar door might protect 150 m² of Amazon rainforest in Brazil, provide a meal for a child in Nepal, or partially fund a holiday trip for a child in need in Germany. Your donation amount is flexible, starting at €1. Important! You donate this amount per project, meaning per calendar door. Starting from €24, you will receive the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar as a thank you gift so you can see which specific projects you’re supporting.

How can I get or gift the calendar?

Via our donation form you can donate to the 24 projects at any time. As a thank you and to show you which aid projects you are supporting, we’ll send you the sustainable Advent calendar starting in October. Of course, you can also send the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar as a gift to family, friends, or acquaintances. We’ll include a greeting card where you can write your personal Advent message. Prefer a digital version? No problem! Starting December 1st, we’ll send you the Advent calendar as a digital version via email, including the daily door and background info on the project. Here you can order the Advent calendar.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes, your donation is tax-deductible. 24guteTaten e.V. is officially recognized as a non-profit organization by the Düsseldorf-South tax office. For donations under €300, tax offices generally accept a bank statement as proof. This is because they treat it as direct evidence of the transaction. You will receive a donation receipt by email shortly after making your donation.

Do 100 percent of the donations go to the projects?

75 percent of the donations collected through the Advent calendar go to charitable purposes, 25 percent to administration and marketing. After covering nonprofit expenses of 24guteTaten e.V., the remaining amount is evenly distributed among the 24 calendar projects.

How is it ensured that my donation arrives?

We take the monitoring of donation use very seriously. Each organization signs a contract that defines the implementation of the good deed. Additionally, aid organizations must document their project progress through detailed reports, receipts, and photos. Our organization is also committed to transparency . That’s why we report annually on our activities and disclose how we use our funds.

How can I apply with a project for a calendar door?

The projects featured in the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar are selected anew each year. Applications usually open on December 6th of the previous year. Want to be notified when the next application round opens? Then sign up here for our NGO newsletter or submit your application directly. You'll also find everything you need to know about the application process there.

How can I learn more about the projects in the Advent calendar?

You’ll find detailed background info on each of the current projects daily from December 1st to 24th on our website. All previous projects are available in our calendar archive. Also, sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

How are the projects for the Advent calendar selected?

Each year, nonprofit organizations can apply for a calendar door. The selected projects must meet strict criteria. Our goal is to support particularly sustainable, impactful, and transparent projects. You can find details about our selection process here

Who is behind the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar?

The 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar is an initiative by the nonprofit organization 24guteTaten e.V., founded in 2011. The organization is based in Düsseldorf.

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Tag 16

30 min. of reading assistance for a child in South Africa

Learn to read, win your future

Community-based program for education and employment.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Through education, the daughter of a farmer can become a doctor, the son of a mine worker can rise to become the head of a mine, and the child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation.”

This quote from 2003 comes from the father of modern South Africa: Nelson Mandela, the renowned activist, president, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

He was born in the Eastern Cape province, where the “Read to Lead” program also takes place. Mandela was politically active in this region from a young age. As a result, the area is known as Nelson Mandela Bay, and the university is called Nelson Mandela University.

Mandela is not only known for his commitment to social justice, democracy, equality, and the realization of human rights for all South Africans, but also for his significant contribution to the field of education.

Community-based program for education and employment.

Simon Licht präsentiert Dir sein Lieblingsprojekt

Need

Literacy for children and employment for young people in a socially disadvantaged region of South Africa

Activity

In the “Read to Lead” program, unemployed young people receive training and, through weekly one-on-one sessions, teach schoolchildren how to read.

Measurable performance

Number of children who can participate in the literacy program during one school year and number of trained young people.

Result

According to studies by the NGO, after completing the project, 83% of the children are able to read and write at an age-appropriate level, and 80% of the young people find permanent employment.

Systemically relevant impact

Improved educational opportunities for schoolchildren and a reduced number of unemployed young people.

Background

Reading is a key to the future. By the age of ten, children should have learned how to read—after that, they need reading skills in order to learn new things. If this foundation is missing, it becomes difficult for them to keep up with school for the rest of their lives.

However, the situation in South Africa is alarming. According to the international PIRLS 2021 study, eight out of ten children aged ten cannot read properly—the worst result among 57 participating countries. In 2016, the figure was 78%; it has since risen to 81%. One of the reasons is the prolonged school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children from poorer families were particularly affected and suffered the greatest learning losses (van Staden & Roux 2022).

At the same time, South Africa is a country of stark contrasts. It is rich in culture and history, yet deeply shaped by colonialism and apartheid, the consequences of which are still felt today. Nearly 40% of the Black population is unemployed, while the unemployment rate among White South Africans is only 9% (UNDP 2022). Young people face especially difficult conditions: many work only part-time or in insecure casual jobs. Youth underemployment stands at 6.3%, significantly higher than the national average of 4.9% (Statistics South Africa 2023).

Without support systems, it is becoming increasingly difficult for children to complete school successfully and for young people to find a secure path into the workforce. Promoting literacy and education is therefore not only an educational initiative, but also an important contribution to greater equality of opportunity.

The good deed

Today's good deed supports reading and writing courses for children aged five to nine, which take place throughout the school year. These courses are offered twice a week in single or double lessons and end as soon as the child can read independently. What makes this special is that it is not only the children who benefit: the young trainers also receive a monthly stipend and ongoing training to help them make the transition from unemployment to permanent employment. 85% of the coaches are women. According to the local partner organisation, 79% of them find employment after the programme.

South Africa

Pretoria <br/>Cape Town </br>Bloemfontein

Pretoria
Cape Town
Bloemfontein

Capitals

64.007.187

population

As of 2024

1.214.470

Land area in km²

3.5 times the size of Germany

11 official languages, including Zulu and Xhosa

Official language(s)

As of 2025

With the discovery of the Omicron variant, South African researchers made a crucial contribution to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, medical research in South Africa is world-class.

About the organization and further information