.JPG "Ninian Tian, manager of World Vision Malaysia, during an interview with Malay Mail in Kelana Jaya July 23,2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Miera Zulyana")
PETALING JAYA, July 24 — World Vision Malaysia isn’t letting Covid-19 stand in the way of their annual 30-Hour Famine event.
The Christian humanitarian organisation has taken the campaign online and is inviting Malaysians to join the 30-Hour Famine: Home Edition to learn how hunger and poverty affect the livelihoods of families in Mongolia.
With exciting activities and interactive games lined up, 30-Hour Famine: Home Edition campaign manager Ninian Tian said the event is a great chance for Malaysians to step into the shoes of Mongolian children and learn more about the struggles they face in their daily lives.
She told Malay Mail that World Vision Malaysia had to navigate a learning curve as they transformed the event into an online experience but they were set on making it happen while keeping their participants safe and healthy.
“We decided to do the event in an online format in March just before Malaysia began the movement control order and we decided it was best to cancel large gatherings for the time being.
“The biggest challenge is that for the past 20 years, we’ve been doing large events for the 30-Hour Famine where everyone comes together and the atmosphere is very different because participants can fast with their friends and family in a camp setting.
“We can’t run any physical events this year and we had to learn how to convey a message that would tell people that even though you cannot come for a physical event, you can still support the campaign by participating from home,” said Tian.
The 2020 edition of the 30-Hour Famine does not require participants to fast unlike previous years, a decision that was made to protect their health and well-being during a global pandemic.
World Vision Malaysia decided to replace the fasting element with activities such as keeping to a budget of RM20 for their meals, only using 20 litres of water, building a simple resting space on the floor, and sleeping without air-conditioning.
This would give participants a taste of what life is like in rural Mongolian communities that only have limited resources to draw upon.
Tian hopes these activities can shed some light on the lack of access to clean water in such communities, which makes them especially vulnerable now that handwashing is considered one of the most important methods to fend off Covid-19.
“We all know that we need to wash our hands and keep ourselves clean so we don’t pass on germs, especially with Covid-19 going around.
“So you can imagine what it’s like for vulnerable children living in communities where they don’t even have access to clean water,” she said.
“In the community development work that we do, we tackle the root cause of why they’re living in poverty and why they don’t have access to clean water.”
Social media engagement will also play a critical role in keeping participants invested throughout the 30-hour event.
“We have created a Telegram channel for 30-Hour Famine so when participants sign up to be a Famine Fighter, they can join the channel where we will share all our updates, resources, and announcements.
“This is one way to get people involved in the challenge because everyone always has their mobile phones on them, so it’s very easy for them to access the Telegram channel.
“We also send participants an e-guidebook that they can easily view on their phone and find all the information they need to go through the 30-hour challenge.”
There will also be an 8-Hour Kidz Famine for participants aged 12 and below who are eager to join the campaign alongside their older family members.
Tian said it’s important to foster a sense of empathy through these activities so Malaysians of all ages can have a better understanding of the challenges faced by those living in poverty.
“People learn through experiences. I can give you a lot of resources to read up on but without experiencing what these communities are going through, it’s difficult for you to explain to others what the issue is really about.
“We had a lot of parents tell us that they liked our programme and they asked if we could do a version for kids as well, that way they can understand the issue and empathise with less fortunate children too.
“We believe children are our future and we hope to instil these values in them from young so that they can go on to make a difference when they grow up.”
Last year’s edition of the 30-Hour Famine was the largest one since its inception in 1997, with over 26,000 Famine Fighters taking part and raising over RM2 million for projects combating hunger and poverty.
World Vision Malaysia is aiming to recruit 40,000 participants this year with a fundraising goal of RM2 million for their humanitarian work in Malaysia, Mongolia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, China, India and Vietnam.
Taiwanese singer Eric Chou will be lending his star power as the celebrity ambassador for the 30-Hour Famine this year and he will be joining participants for a livestream countdown during the last two hours of the event.
Tian said they have close to 100 local celebrities and social media influencers who have joined hands with World Vision Malaysia to get the word out about the campaign.
“30-Hour Famine is an advocacy campaign. We want participants to use their voice to speak up on issues that affect children and their families living in underprivileged communities.
“Bringing an ambassador who is a celebrity means they can use their influence to reach out to more people and amplify our work at World Vision Malaysia.
“People also look up to these celebrities as role models and once they’re on board, it’s a good chance for us to reach out with our resources and let them know that they too can make a big impact.”
30-Hour Famine was first introduced in Malaysia in 1997 as a joint effort between World Vision Malaysia and Sin Chew Daily to raise funds for the famine in North Korea.
It has been held yearly since then and has grown to become one of the largest youth movements in the country.
This year’s 30-Hour Famine: Home Edition will start on August 1 at 2pm and end on August 2 at 8pm and participants will have the chance to engage in a variety of fun activities to learn about Mongolian life and culture while raising funds for a charitable cause.
The minimum donation to become a Famine Fighter is RM30 while participants who donate RM60 will receive a limited edition 30-Hour Famine t-shirt.
For more information, head over to the official 30-Hour Famine website.
*A previous version of this story contained an error on the surname of Ninian Tian. The error has since been corrected.
