From San Diego-
Every day, over 29,000 children under the age of five die from preventable diseases. That’s 10.6 million children every year. Malnutrition from severe hunger is associated with half of those deaths.
Starting Friday (Feb. 26), hundreds of San Diego youth will get a real taste of hunger as they participate in 30 Hour Famine, an international youth movement coordinated by World Vision to raise awareness and money to fight hunger overseas, and in the U.S.
During a “famine,” teens fast on an empty stomach by going without food (consuming only liquids) for 30 hours to get a glimpse what the poorest children and families face every day.
One local gathering of 33 teens will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday at St. Andrews’s Episcopal Church in Encinitas, where participants will stay overnight. Individuals will have already started fasting on their own at noon. The famine ends with a church communion service around 6 p.m. on Saturday. After that, the group will enjoy a “breaking-the-fast” dinner together and talk about their experience.
This is the sixth year St. Andrew’s youth group has taken part in the famine. To date, they have raised almost $30,000.
“It’s a way for students to actively participate in fighting hunger around the world, while having an empty stomach themselves,” says Brenda Johnston, the church’s director of youth ministries. “It really makes us think about how blessed we are and the abundance we live in every day. It teaches the students the facts of world hunger. Knowing that only $30 can feed a child for an entire month is mind-boggling. It makes you think twice about how you’re spending your money, and what an impact you can have on someone’s life for such a tiny amount.”
Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-02-25/blog/good-blog/san-diego-teens-go-hungry-to-help-haiti-quake-survivors#ixzz0gdk1RZH1
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