The 40-Hour Famine was held on the weekend of 25 to 27 May, with participants around the country giving up something of value for 40 sponsored hours in order to raise money for World Vision.
A number of Otago students displayed an especially entrepreneurial attitude to the cause. 20 year-old med student Ron Puni sat in a cardboard box in the Hunter Centre car park for 40 hours. Puni went without food, including the usually exempted barley sugars and juice, for the duration of his stay in the box. He referred to his efforts as “A Bear Grylls twist on the traditional famine”. Although his friends called him “insane”, Puni raised $790, just short of his goal of $850.
A third year flat took a typically Scarfie approach to the “famine”. Each flatmate was required to consume 40 beers in 40 hours. The flat spent the weekend of drinking locked in their lounge while over 200 people watched via an online live video stream. The charitable inebriation raised over $2000, prompting the flat to promise to repeat the feat next year. Participant Sam Stuch told Critic that in 2013 “we’ll find corporate sponsorship and get up to $10,000.”
Famine events will continue, with Vision media representative Dylan Cornell telling Critic there will be a 20-hour walkathon around the Octagon later this year.
The 40-hour famine has taken place annually since 1975, when it was instigated in response to a famine in Ethiopia. In its first year the famine raised $265,000. World Vision is aiming for $2.5 million this year. Funds raised will go towards agricultural projects in Mali and Niger, with a small percentage devoted to nutrition programmes in Rwanda and Cambodia.
Scarfies drink for Africa
