30 hour famine

From the 30 Hour Famine website...

What is the 30 Hour Famine?

The 30 Hour Famine puts hands and feet to your desire to help students live a life of Christian compassion.

It will unite youth group members like never before. And the impact will last long after the Famine event is over. It can be the spark that fires up a person for a lifetime of reaching out to neighbors in need, whether they're across the street - or around the globe.

* Hunger in the World

Hunger Fact Sheet
Global Hunger & Poverty

* Each day, over 29,000 children die from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.
* More than 852 million people in the world are malnourished - 799 million of them are from the developing world. More than 153 million of them are under the age of 5.
* In developing countries, one child in 10 dies before his fifth birthday. By comparison, in the U.S. one child in 165 will die before turning five years old.
* In the last 50 years, 400 million people worldwide have died from hunger and poor sanitation. That's three times the number of people killed in all wars fought in the entire 20th century.
* The wealthiest fifth of the world's people consume an astonishing 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consume 1 percent.
* Of the 6.39 billion people in today's world, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day.
* Malnutrition can severely affect a child's intellectual development. Children who have stunted growth due to malnutrition score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children.

Domestic Hunger & Poverty

* 36.3 million people - including 13 million children - live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents approximately one in ten households in the United States.
* 3.5 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 9.6 million people, including 3 million children, live in these homes.
* 7.7 percent of U.S. households are at risk of hunger. Members of these households have lower quality diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. 26.6 million people - including 10.3 million children - live in these homes.
* Preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger, according to a recent study.



(Source: Bread for the World, Hunger Basics, 2005)

* Facts on Fasting

About Fasting

The average, healthy person is able to go without food for 30 hours without any ill effects. Exceptions are the following:

* children under the age of 12
* the elderly
* pregnant or nursing women
* people with other specific medical conditions (past or present) including diabetes, reactive hypoglycemia, other medical conditions that are associated with or could precipitate hypoglycemia; eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)

If you have any health-related questions about the 30 Hour Famine or are regularly under a doctor's care for any of the above medical conditions, you are strongly advised to consult your family doctor before taking part.
What is fasting?

Fasting is the act of abstaining from food. There are various types of ways to fast, but the most popular and the one that is part of the 30 Hour Famine is a juice fast.
Why is fasting part of the 30 Hour Famine?

There are many scriptural references to fasting, in both the Old and New Testament. The following is not a complete list but is a good place to start.

* Matthew 6:16-18
* Matthew 9:16-17
* Matthew 17:20-21
* Daniel 9:3, 20
* Ezra 8:21-23
* Isaiah 58
* Judges 20:26-28
* Psalms 35:13
* Mark 9:29

What does the Bible say about fasting?

It's an opportunity for participants to focus their thoughts, prayers and efforts on things most important to God. It's a way to draw near to God. It also allows participants to feel what real hunger feels like -- a hunger that is felt by many of the boys, girls, men and women who are being helped by the funds raised during the 30 Hour Famine. For further study, please consult a pastor, Bible scholar or Christian bookstore. Another excellent source of information about fasting is found in the April 5, 1999 edition of Christianity Today. Copies of their special report can be found on line at www.christianitytoday.com and searching on the word "fasting."
What are some alternatives to fasting?

A 30 hour fast is not required for those participating in the 30 Hour Famine, but it is a recognized component of the 30 Hour Famine. Again, most people can go without food for 30 hours with no ill effects, but it should be a personal choice. If, for any reason (medical or otherwise), someone cannot participate in a 30 hour fast, modifying the Famine is accepted. Some suggested ways to modify a fast include:

* skipping a meal (or two)
* abstaining from something (i.e. chocolate, soda pop, etc.) for a period of time
* fasting from talking for a period time
* fasting from media (no TV, movies, videos, radio, music, etc.) for a period of time

How should we break the fast?

Breaking your fast can be a meaningful time for the group, but it also should be done gradually and sensibly. A big pizza feed might sound like a great idea, but something a little easier to digest, like pasta or rice (lots of carbohydrates) might go down a little easier. (For more ideas on breaking the fast, check out your 30 Hour Famine Leader's/Activity Guide.)


This document was prepared by World Vision's 30 Hour Famine staff. It is not designed to replace a physician's guidance but is provided to answer common questions regarding fasting.

How does the Famine work?

It's really quite simple. First of all, the materials are provided, free of charge, by World Vision. Before your "Famine Date" (February 23-24, 2007 is the next National Famine Date, but your group can hold yours anytime) youth group members raise money through donors and sponsors to help the millions of starving and hurting children in some of the world's poorest countries, offering them a hope they could not otherwise have. The groups then go 30 hours without food, so that they can have a real taste of what hunger is like. During this time they engage in different activities, from community service projects to volunteer work to study, depending on how each group plans their own event. Afterwards the money raised is sent in to World Vision, and we put it to work in areas like Kenya, Sudan, and here in the United States.


What does it take to help a hungry child?

Only $30 a month, just $1 a day, will feed and care for a child. Your group members can start by asking twelve people they know to donate $30 - that's one person for each month of the year. When they've done that, they will have raised $360, enough money to feed and provide necessary care to a child for a whole year.



This year, thousands of groups in more than 21 countries - more than 1 million teens - will unite with one goal in mind: to help children living in some of the most deplorable conditions on earth.



Countless lives will be impacted and saved. So get on board now. This can be the single most effective event you're a part of all year to make a difference in peoples' lives. And this means both in your community, and around the globe. Shake things up, and join the winnable war to save kids lives.