Nelson Mandela:

Nelson Mandela played a pivotal role in the South African black liberation movement that led to the end of apartheid. He joined the opposition African National Congress party (ANC) in 1943 and was soon involved in transforming the party into a radical mass movement. Through his active and unwavering commitment to the resistance movement and liberation cause  Mandela became increasingly prominent. He was confined, banned, arrested, imprisoned and put on trial for treason, yet he refused to be "circumscribed" by his opponent.
In 1960 the ANC was outlawed and Nelson Mandela emerged as the leading figure in the struggle. Mandela challenged the apartheid regime to convene a national, representative convention to create a new and democratic constitution. He also led a campaign for a mass general strike if the government did not comply. When the government responded with the largest military mobilisation since the war, the ANC started to build a military faction with  Mandela as Commander in Chief. Nelson  Mandela evaded the authorities for years, gaining the title the Black Pimpernel. Nevertheless in 1962 he was arrested. In 1963 11 ANC members were accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Three of them, including Mr Mandela, decided they would not appeal a death sentence. Mandela stated that he hoped to live and achieve his ideals, but if needs be he was prepared to die for them. In 1964,  Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nelson Mandela's time in prison amounted to almost 27 years. Whilst in prison, Nelson Mandela became a potent symbol of resistance to apartheid, consistently refusing to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom. Released on February 11th 1990, Nelson Mandela continued with his work leading the country towards multi-racial democracy, through reconciliation and negotiation. In 1993, along with the then president of South Africa, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. On April 27th 1994 the era of apartheid formally came to an end and on May 10th 1994 Rolihlahla Nelson Dalibunga Mandela was inaugurated. He served one term as President. Since then he has set up three foundations bearing his name. He campaigns on world issues and is currently a celebrated Elder statesman.

Desmond Tutu:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a prominent world figure for peace and human rights. Born in 1931, Tutu was first a teacher. He became a priest in 1961 and continued his religious studies until 1966. From then on Desmond Tutu has held increasingly prominent positions within the Anglican Church and throughout he has spoken out against apartheid and the treatment of black people in South Africa.
During the era of apartheid Tutu advocated reconciliation. He encouraged civil disobedience and disinvestment in South Africa in order to pressure the government to dismantle apartheid. Despite escalating violence, he unwaveringly urged people to work together peacefully to end apartheid, and he gave support to fellow activists, throughout the most challenging times. In 1984 Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1985 Tutu became the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and later served as president of the All Africa Conference of Churches. In 1991 the government repealed apartheid laws and in 1994 Nelson Mandela, as president of South Africa, asked Archbishop Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Since then, the Commission has become a world-wide model for post-conflict procedures.
Today Archbishop Tutu is Chairman of The Elders, a group of world leaders who formed in 2007 to contribute to dealing with serious world issues. He continues to campaign for human rights worldwide.

How our patrons got involved:

"CODA was set up 20 years ago. It supported the ANC in exile in Zambia giving it access to the world media. After apartheid ended it helped establish the first computer centre in a South African township. It was at that time that Nelson Mandela and I became patrons of CODA. We saw that in South Africa people would change their lives only if they had access to knowledge, technology and skills, and changing people's lives is still at the heart of what CODA does... This is not work done by foreign aid workers who leave when the project is over, this is the community standing up for itself. This is change that lasts."

- Desmond Tutu on our BBC Radio 4 Appeal