Famine events are localized events of voluntary fasting for 30 or 40 hours depending on the region to raise money and awareness for

world hunger Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissue ...

. These events are usually coordinated by one of various

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

organizations and are done by youth in church organizations. They have spread internationally, notably the international 30 Hour Famine, also the regional 40 Hour Famine in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and the 24 Hour Famine in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The 30 Hour Famine is the most popular amongst all, spreading across 21 countries.

30 Hour Famine

The 30 Hour Famine is a

event in 21 countries. It started in 1971 when 17-year-old Ruth Roberts and 14 friends in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

staged an event in a church basement to see what it was like to be hungry and raise money and awareness for children suffering during a famine. The funds raised went to World Vision. 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. 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. Thousands of teenagers across the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and several other countries (including

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, UK,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and

) participate to raise money and then fast for 30 hours. However, individuals can raise money and fast by themselves. During the event, for 30 hours, participants must abstain from eating food, and instead they typically drink water, fruit juices, or other liquids Games, fundraisers, 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. This, however, does not exclude those unable to fast.

40 Hour Famine – Australia

The '
40 Hour Famine
'' is an annual

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' or ...

event held by

. The event aims for young Australians to feel empathy for millions of children and families around the world on the brink of famine and raise funds to help them. It was started in 1975 in response to the famine in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

.40-hour famine to aid the poor
paragraph 4 Participants can choose their own challenge and either give up something like furniture of talking for 40 hours or do something creative eg. Walk for 40kms, do 40 acts of kindness. They can do this individually, or as a team, school or church. The event officially runs from 8pm on Friday to noon on Sunday, usually over a weekend in August. Participants may choose another time to do their challenge if they wish.

40 Hour Famine – New Zealand

The 40 Hour Famine,

's largest youth fundraiser, is an annual

New Zealand 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.

24 Hour Famine

24 Hour Famine is also an annual charity event held by World Vision UK which started in 1986. The aim is to raise awareness and money for people stricken by famine around the world. Participants can choose to go without food for the duration, or other activities such as computer games or talking. In 2008, the official Cause was the 'nowhere children' in Chennai. Age restrictions apply: 0–13 years are only allowed to fast for 20 hours whilst 14+ years can fast for up to 40 hours.

Notes

References

External links

30 Hour Famine

World Vision: 30 Hour Famine Official Website

World Vision Canada: 30 Hour Famine

World Vision Singapore: 30 Hour Famine

40 Hour Famine

World Vision Australia: 40 Hour Famine

World Vision New Zealand: 40 Hour Famine

24 Hour Famine

24 Hour Famine

World Vision UK: 24 Hour Famine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Famine Events Humanitarian aid Famines Recurring events established in 1971