11-Year Old Boy Raises Fund For East African Crisis

In order to help the victims of the recent famine and drought in the Horn of Africa, various countries and international aid agencies are stepping up. But they are not the only ones who are contributing. An 11-year old school boy aims to raise $13 million for the region.



Andrew Andasi from Ghana told the Agence France-Presse, “I saw a BBC documentary about Somalia and I looked to my father and asked why are they so lean and hungry like that. I thought, I should help them.” According to the source, Andasi has already raised $4,000 out of his $13 million target. Impressive, isn’t it?



Meanwhile, the Chinese government has pledged to step up its aid for the Horn of Africa through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by announcing a 4 million yuan ($623,000) donation to ICRC operations in the region. ICRC spokesperson for Somalia Yves Van Loo confirmed that the agency in collaboration with the Somalia Red Cross, has distributed more than 3,000 tons of food in eight provinces in southern Somalia.



In response to the East African crisis, another international aid organization, Save the Children, recently launched a mass feeding program for Kenyan children under 3 which also includes pregnant women and lactating mothers.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: DEVEX

What An Amazing Way To Realize How Fortunate We Are!

For most of us, either poverty or hunger is an issue that needs to be taken care of. We simply can not let 1 billion global citizens to carry on their lives without food. But do we ever feel the rush to actually do something? Do we realize how fortunate we are that we are not in their shoes? To feel the pain that hungry people have to suffer on a daily basis, more than 60,000 Canadian teens are going to participate in the two-day long World Vision 30 Hour Famine starting from today. The teens will go without food for 30 hours to know what hunger feels like, and they will raise money and build awareness of issues that children face around the globe.

The 30 Hour Famine is the world's largest youth event to fight poverty and hunger. It began in Canada in 1971 when a group of Calgary teens held a fast after they saw some images of a famine in Africa. Since then it has become a global event. Participants all around the world go hungry for 30 hours, raise money, and attend local events to celebrate the change they are making in other countries. This year many Canadian celebrities including Dan Hamhuis, Danny Fernandes, FaberDrive, LIGHTS and These Kids Wear Crowns will support the Canadian youth during the event.

The proceeds from the event will provide assistance in countries including: Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Niger, the Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The funds can be directed to a specific cause, choosing food & nutrition, clean water, child protection or education.

"For 40 years, Canadian youth have battled global poverty through the World Vision 30 Hour Famine," says World Vision's T.J. Grant "Canadian teens understand that fighting childhood poverty is a priority. Youth are making it their personal goal to do something now - and through the Famine are motivating friends, families and communities to get involved." Today, more than 500,000 youth in 21 countries participate in the 30 Hour Famine on an annual basis.

We can all show our support for this global event and raise our voice against hunger, poverty and injustice around the world. Or we can also go hungry for a day to realize what these people are fighting against!

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: DIGITAL JOURNAL