Keeping Mouth Shut Helps A Good Cause

Onehunga resident Emma Crawley (photographed right) will be keeping her mouth shut this weekend to raise money for the World Vision 40-hour famine.

She has decided to give up talking as a creative way to raise money.

Unlike previous years where 40- hour famine participants went without food, World Vision is encouraging people to give up anything for 40 hours.

World Vision spokesperson Kelly Zander says the key is to give up something for 40 hours to challenge people to think about people living overseas that World Vision is helping.

“It is not always convenient to give up food and we really love people to be involved,” says Ms Zander.

Ms Crawley is studying counselling part time, specialising in working with children and young people.

World Vision says $1100 will fund training for teachers and counsellors to support 1250 children.

Giving up talking is something that will be a big challenge to Emma.

“I’m worried that I might wake up in the morning and forget!

“My idea was to give up talking to remind me of those who don’t have a voice,” she says.

This year World Vision is urging participants to ‘raise the stakes’ and challenge themselves to think about poverty while participating.

The famine’s focus this year is the global food crisis. “Food prices have skyrocketed and families are having to sacrifice food,” says Ms Zander. “It has a huge impact in the third world.”

As a child Ms Crawley did the famine but this is the first time she has been involved as an adult.

“It caught my eye that there were many different options,” Ms Crawley says.

World Vision has been targeting Universities and corporates to get involved with the famine this year. It is the first time it has targeted these groups by opening up specific university and corporate famine packages.

The 40-hour famine will run this weekend from 8pm Friday until midday Sunday. World Vision is expecting 120,000 people to participate.

Alice Emily Tollestrup is a graduate diploma journalism student at AUT University.