Famine events

It started in 1971 when 17-year-old Ruth Roberts and 14 friends in Calgary, Alberta 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.

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.

Thousands of teenagers across the U.S.,[4] Canada, and several other countries (including Hong Kong, Taiwan,[5] Malaysia, UK, Singapore and Australia and New Zealand) participate to raise money and then fast for 30 hours.

During the event, for 30 hours, participants must abstain from eating food, and instead they typically drink water, fruit juices, or other liquids.

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.

In 2021, the event was renamed to be the "40 Hour Challenge" as World Vision branched out to global issues beyond hunger.

24 Hour Famine is also an annual charity event held by World Vision UK which started in 1986.

[citation needed] The aim is to raise awareness and money for people stricken by famine around the world.