Thirty-Nine: Hunger Mission (~jinghan)
Flicking through the big issue I found this article about the drought and famine in Kenya: “It’s hard to sleep when you are hungry. You get no peace. You spend all night shifting around. Everywhere aches. You try this side, that side, two minutes on your back. When you sleep on your left side the other side is sore. You can hear your stomach rumbling all night.” Tede Lokapelo, 85, Kenya.
Living in Australia, I have never known what it’s like to be that hungry, so when a friend of mine asked me to donate to their 40 Hour Famine campaign I decided I would join them and find out for myself.
Well okay it started as a hunger mission, but it also became a communication mission and an awareness mission. I must have spend at least 40 hour reading about world vision’s projects, contacting people and sending out thankyou emails to anyone who donated. We can’t give the people of Kenya rain, but we can help people learn new ways to sustain themselves, to provide clean water to prevent simple diseases – just some of the projects World Vision needs funding through the money generated by the 40 Hour Famine. Here’s how it went:
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08 August at 15:20 — Jinghan on Facebook
10 days to the famine…
I will be giving up food for 40 hours to gain a new perspective on life as well as donating 20c to someone’s hunger mission for every $1 donated to my mission. That is if I reach my target of $500 I will be donating $100 more from my own pocket to World Vision.
Come join me ^^ Why not give up $20 you would have spent on something for yourself, maybe bring lunch from home for a few days and spend some money just for the good of the world.
It’s easy to donate online here: http://40hf.com/jinghan
and if you want to find out where your money is going, watch this video. It’s what got me into the challenge.
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09 August at 21:08 — Jinghan on Facebook
9 days to the famine….
It was sort of nice going through my friends list to send you this message and remembering how I met each one of you and how you’ve all been a part of my life in some way. Thankyou for being part of who I am ♥
For something fun to do give up 1.5 minutes of your time to watch this short video. For something good to do, give up $20 of your money to help give back a community their livelihood. If you’ve ever had a long day you probably know what being hungry can do to your mood, imagine being that hungry for months…
With gratitude, Jinghan
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10 August at 13:36 — Jinghan on Facebook
8 days to the famine…
I found the longer version of the video, it’s gorgeous, dorky and touches your heart. “That’s Jasmine I’ve had a crush on her since kindergarten…”
“Akar, it’s ground up and cooked treebark.”
“treebark?”
“They call this hungry season, they want to know how long hungry season is in Australia.”
“…”
Will you be a little bit poorer so someone somewhere else in the world can be a little bit healthier?
With gratitude, Jinghan
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13 August at 00:36 — Jinghan on Facebook
5 days to the famine…
For a long time I felt that it was somewhat cheap to just make monetary donations. I mean: what can little rattley coins and plastic notes do for this world? Well it turns out that organisations like World Vision really do need money – more so than voluntary power that requires extra money to organise people and send them places.
Knowing that all this money comes not from profit but people’s generosities they do a pretty good job to make the most of it. Check out this link to see what world vision is doing in terms of developing communities for long-term benefit. Some of the things they have been up to are better food storage, seed banks, empowering women as well as whole communities.
Thanks so much for all the support and nice messages. Everyone has their own level of affordability so donate what you think you can spare. I’ve totally smashed my boundary of what I’m usually comfortable donating to charity this time by pledging an extra 20c for every $1 donated to me. I’m already up to having to donate $57. =O but feeling good about it.
It’s dead easy to donate online here: http://40hf.com/jinghan or give me a shout and I can see if I can come your way to pick up a cash donation.
With gratitude, Jinghan
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15 August at 22:10 — Jinghan on Facebook
Only three days to the famine!!
Darwin, with it’s big malls and comfortable city people, is only one hours flight from East Timor. In East Timor there is a “hungry season” where people live off very little food between harvests. Sometimes hungry season lasts three months but recently people have been living off very scarse amounts of food for up to five months at a time.
I’m doing the 40 hours famine because I want this chance to think about the things that are important to human survival and more importantly human livelihood. How would you feel if you could see the people you loved starving but not know what to do?
However, here in Australia we can do something for these people in East Timor. I’m inviting you to make a donation to World Vision so that long-term programs can be put into action to help empower these communities in east timor now and into the future.
Only one hour from Australia…
It’s easy to donation online via this link: http://40hf.com/jinghan
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17 August at 11:32 — Jinghan on Facebook
Jinghan will be going hungry from 8pm Thursday – 12pm Saturday! She’s totally pumped for it, but her stomach is yet to be convinced of the good will of this cause…
I wasn’t sure what I was up for when I set up my really ambitious target, but the generosity of everyone that has donated has really touched and inspired me and I hope that together – as “wealthy” australians – we have made a good effort towards giving the people of the world a better quality of life.
$515 has been donated to me, and I have donated $20 to R— who is giving up furniture and $20 to V—- who is giving up everything (no really, she is.) and $40 to M— who is cycling around the bay for The Smith Family organisation. As per my pledge I need to donate another $23 so tell me about the causes you are participating in, or even sign up for the 40 Hour Famine!
The (virtual) donation box is open until the 1st of September so if you want to make Jinghan completely poor and donate more money so I have to pledge more money… http://40hf.com/jinghan
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17 August at 12:02 — Jinghan on Facebook
One and a half days to the famine…
“Abito is seven. His favourite thing to do is play with his slingshot. It’s hungry season in East Timor, and there is not much food to eat until the next harvest. So for now Abito’s family eats nothing but sago trees.
They grind up the trunk of a sago palm tree and mix it with water to make a kind of paste, which they cook and eat. They call it akar. Eating akar every day fills him up, but it doesn’t provide Abito with enough nutrients for a balanced diet – Abito says he runs out of energy when he only has akar to eat.
It’s hard being a kid when you have to eat sago trees just to survive.”
I have spent a few hours each day finding out more about hunger in East Timor and thanking all the generous people who have donated. So if you want to know what World Vision is doing as well here is a page with some eye-opening videos.
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19 August at 09:41 — Jinghan on Facebook
–13.5 hours since last eating–
Jinghan: well it seemed a bit weird to get up and not have breakfast so I decided to have some unflavoured tea for breakfast
Tongue: mmmm.. unflavoured tea.. yummy.. ^^v
Stomach: you mean boiled water? uwgh. *grumble grumble*
Tongue: mmm… unflavoured tea.. .. .. ^^;?
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19 August — Am email from Jinghan to friends and donors
To all the family, friends, influential and inspiring people in my life,
A letter to tell you how it’s going on the hunger mission front and to a thankyou to everyone who has donated to the best of their ability regardless of the sum of money. I wasn’t sure what I expected when I set my really ambitious donation target, but I have been absolutely amazed and inspired by the generous response to the 40 hour famine campaign. Some of you have heard this already, but I really mean it when I say that your generosity has been inspiring and uplifting to me. If hunger should be suffering then I have been too distracted by the feeling of gratitude.
In summary: currently the (virtual) donation box sits at a awe-striking $683. On top of this, as part of my pledge, I have donated $60 to other people doing the 40 hour famine and $40 to a sponsored bike ride for the Smith Family organisation (that looks to empower disadvantaged children through education). And I will be donating another $30 before the World Vision (virtual) donation boxes before they close.
If you would still like to participate, the (virtual) donation boxes will be open until 1st September and here is where you want to go: http://40hf.com/jinghan
My hunger mission is running from 8pm Thursday 18th August to 12pm Saturday 20th August. It’s been 28 hours since I last ate now and I’m starting to feel that certain emptiness and ache of the stomach, as well as the restriction of not being able to drive or leave the house for strenuous activities. Here’s a picture of me as I sat down to “lunch” with my barley sugar served with unflavoured tea (very very very like boiled water but it tastes awful if you use a microwave to reheat it… okay, admittedly, it may possibly just be boiled water).
Jinghan: *sits down and waits for tea to steep*
Jinghan: …
Jinghan: oh wait…
Stomach: *grumbles in an unamused way*
Along the way I have learnt about the quality of life of people in the world and been left wandering about how it would be to live without the things I take for granted – food, hygiene, employment opportunities and enough wealth for education. To get a glimpse of what you’re donation will be impacting check out this page and maybe explore some of the other readings on the 40 Hour Famine website.
And I’ve had this opportunity to stop and thank people for being in my life: new friends, old friends and people who have inspired me in some way.
Thankyou for your interest, time and generosity
With gratitude
Jinghan
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19 August at 13:24 — Jinghan on Facebook
I decided I needed chopsticks and a spoon to feel less left out at dinner time.
M___: Mmmm yummy food food food
Jinghan: …
Stomach: D<
Jinghan is quickly getting poor (^^;;;;) since she has pledged to give up 20c for every $1 donated but you can still make her more poor (^^;;;;) by donating online here: http://40hf.com/jinghan
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20 August at 11:46 — Jinghan on Facebook
craving rice