World Vision Famine events

The World Vision organization have developed several famine events that spread throughout the globe, notably the international 30 Hour Famine, also the regional 40 Hour Famine in Australia and New Zealand and the 24 Hour Famine in the United Kingdom. The 30 Hour Famine is the most popular amongst all, spreading across 21 countries. Cref|a

30 Hour Famine

The 30 Hour Famine is a World Vision event in 21 countries. It started in 1971 when 14 Calgary, Alberta teenagers staged an event in a church basement to raise money for World Vision. [ [http://www.worldvision.ca/wvfamine/live/about-the-famine/ World Vision Canada] "The first 30 Hour Famine took place in Calgary, Alberta, 36 years ago, when a group of youths refused to sit back and do nothing about the famine..."] [ [http://www.langleyadvance.com/issues06/041206/news/041206nn12.html Langley Advance] ]

David L. Wylie, a nondenominational youth leader, jump-started the movement in the United States about seventeen years ago as a youth director of Millen Baptist Church in South Georgia. He was looking for a way to stimulate the interest of his 25-member youth group in world hunger issues when he heard the idea of a voluntary hunger strike from World Vision. His group raised $3,000 that year, $5,000 the next and was featured on CNN Headline News and Wylie was nominated by Congressman Lindsey Thomas for a Presidential Point of Light Award. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_hidethis=no&p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=David%20Wylie,%2030%20Hour%20Famine&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(David%20Wylie,%2030%20Hour%20Famine)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no Welcome to stacks.ajc.com ] ] Wylie was also recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives, the Georgia Senate, and numerous Georgia governors for his efforts to get youth involved in hunger causes by using the 30-Hour Famine program. [ [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22david+Wylie%22%2C+30-Hour+Famine] ]

Thousands of teens across the U.S., [ [http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-02232007-1303633.html Burlington County Times] ] Canada, and several other countries (including Hong Kong, Taiwan [ [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/07/02/2003261867 Taipei Times] ] , the UK, and Australia and New Zealand) participate to raise money and then fast for 30 hours. [ [http://www.30hourfamine.org/portal/pages/about/index.html Welcome to 30 Hour Famine ] ] However, individuals can raise money and fast by themselves. In 2006, over $11.6 million dollars were raised in the United States. [ [http://www.30hourfamine.org/portal/pages/about/faqs/index.html World Vision FAQs] What is the 30 Hour Famine?: "Last year, over 600,000 young people across the United States helped raise over $11.6 million dollars.."]

During the event, for 30 hours, participants must abstain from eating food, and instead they typically drink water, fruit juices, or other liquids [ [http://www.standardnewswire.com/news/38395648.html Standard Newswire] "Energized with compassion rather than food during their fast, 30 HF groups ... consume only water and fruit juices"] Games, fund raisers, and other events may also take place to help teach and educate the participants and others about world hunger all over the world. It is also a time for education and awareness of world hunger, and an understanding of how people go without food for long periods of time. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/24/AR2007022401366.html The Washington Post] "But education about global poverty was the main focus of the long day. The students watched DVDs about poverty issues. And Harrington showed off a banner on which the students had pressed 30,000 fingerprints in red paint, designed to help them better understand the magnitude of the problem."] This, however, does not exclude those unable to fast. [ [http://www.worldvision.ca/wvfamine/About-the-Famine/FAQs/Pages/default.aspx World Vision Canada FAQs] "Q. I am physically unable to fast. Can I still do the Famine?"]

40 Hour Famine - Australia

. [ [http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=vn20070303084451310C184592 40-hour famine to aid the poor] paragraph 4]

Participants must first raise money through sponsorship from other people. Participants must then abstain from a particular group of items or do/not do something for 40 hours. Some of the famines include not eating food, not using first world technology such as television, refraining from talking, and not using furniture. Some participants create their own famines, such as living in a cardboard box or being blindfolded. The event officially runs from 8pm on Friday to noon on Sunday, usually over a weekend in August. Participants may choose another time to fast if the official famine dates do not suit them.

Children that attend primary school (usually between the ages of 4 - 12) are encouraged to participate in the 8 hour famine for safety reasons, instead of the usual 40 hour famine.

40 Hour Famine - New Zealand

The 40 Hour Famine, New Zealand’s largest youth fundraiser, is an annual World Vision campaign aimed at providing New Zealanders with a unique experience, as a catalyst for fundraising.

The 40 Hour Famine was launched in 1975 by World Vision. This first 40 Hour Famine, on 15-17 August 1975, had 10,000 participants and raised NZ$265,000.

Since then, the 40 Hour Famine has continued to grow, raising over $2.5 million through 118,000 participants. The 40 Hour Famine, in many New Zealand schools and communities, has become an annual tradition.

Held every year, participants are sponsored for doing without food, or something as challenging, for up to 40 hours. To complement individual fundraising efforts, participating schools and groups also run events and activities. Many events are participant-driven and gain local media coverage, which helps to engage the wider community in their fundraising while also creating experiences that allow participants to identify with the cause.

In 2008, New Zealand’s Famine efforts will culminate in an event to be held over Famine weekend – 40 Hour LIVE! This new LIVE Famine event is unique because Faminer’s decide what happens – any participating school, group, or individual can apply to perform alongside their favourite bands and artists at the event, or can upload footage of their events to 40hourlive.org.nz.

Through the 40 Hour Famine, World Vision aims to invest in the lives of young New Zealanders, while raising life-changing funds for children overseas.

24 Hour Famine

24 Hour Famine is also an annual charity event held by World Vision UK started in 1986. Every year thousands of people will not eat so that others can. The most popular thing to give up is food but some people may give up electricity or talking. In 2008 people are being sponsored to help the 'nowhere children' in Chennai.

Notes

References

External links

30 Hour Famine

* [http://www.30hourfamine.org/portal/index.html World Vision: 30 Hour Famine Official Website]
* [http://www.worldvision.ca/wvfamine/live/index.cfm World Vision Canada: 30 Hour Famine]

40 Hour Famine

* [http://www.worldvision.com.au/40HourFamine/ World Vision Australia: 40 Hour Famine]
* [http://www.famine.org.nz/default.aspx World Vision New Zealand: 40 Hour Famine]

24 Hour Famine

* [http://www.24hour.org.uk/ 24 Hour Famine]
* [https://www.worldvision.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.809 World Vision UK: 24 Hour Famine]