The Cupertino Courier

Education

Students go hungry to raise money for world's poorest

By ERIN HUSSEY

Most high school students wouldn't volunteer to spend a weekend at school, let alone decide to go without food for 30 hours.

But that's what around 75 Fremont High School students did Feb. 10 during a "famine event" on the school's campus in Sunnyvale.

It was the fourth year that members of the school's Key Club chose the 30-hour famine to raise money for the World Vision Organization, a group that helps the world's poorest children and families in nearly 100 countries, including the United States.

"Just donating money doesn't really teach you anything. Maybe you can have the satisfaction that you donated money, but you don't gain a deep understanding or awareness of what you are donating to," says Linh Hoang, a Fremont High senior and vice president of the Key Club.

"I think this is the best way students can learn about the world," says Nancy Carlson, an adviser for the Kiwanis who works with the Fremont High Key Club. "When they feel it themselves, they will have the emotional energy to spread the word."

The Key Club is part of the Kiwanis International family and is one of the oldest and largest service programs for high school students. Each year the student members select a variety of groups to help.

"I want to abolish ignorance and build futures," says junior Lyssa Samuel. "I wanted to know for myself what it felt like to be hungry so I could help give people a chance to have a better life."

Linh says the group includes young people from different grades and different groups in the school. "I played games with people I have never even talked to before around school. We were all hungry, so we shared that common feeling."

In order to pass the time and help dissipate their hunger pangs, the students were allowed to play games and do homework. They also participated in a variety of educational exercises and simulations on hunger.

"You need food obviously," says Lyssa. "But what amazed me was that you don't need it as much as you think you do--you can get by with a lot less."

While she says fasting for 30 hours wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be, senior Josh Agbayani felt differently.

"I got hungry," he says, rubbing his stomach. "I couldn't even do my homework."

In addition to fasting, each student was asked to raise a minimum of $30.

"My friends were wondering why we were trying to get money to starve ourselves," says Josh, "but I told them it was for a good cause."

According to World Vision, 29,000 children die of hunger and preventable diseases every day.

"Every three seconds, one child dies from hunger," says Linh.

With the help of each $30 donation from the Fremont High students, one child can be fed for one month.

"It's kind of scary in a way because we really don't get to see what we do go into effect," says Lyssa. "We still have that apprehensive feeling: 'Well, is this really making a difference?' But I think just the fact that we are trying to make a difference is the initial ripple, and that is just the beginning of good things to come."