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Pukekohe High School pupils were up for a challenge recently, raising approximately $3000 for World Vision New Zealand.
Developed from the 40 Hour Famine, the 40 Hour Challenge sees participants commit to a challenge that pushes them to the limit or requires they step out of their comfort zones.
Twenty-nine Pukekohe High students took part this year, teacher Aisea Taliai confirms.
“We did a social action unit that required students to prove personal involvement in some form of action that supported a system, so we participated in the 40 Hour Challenge,” he says.
“Major fundraising for charities such as World Vision can make a real difference and it’s good for our students to see their actions having an effect elsewhere.”
Among the group, Holly Cooper and Isla Reid opted to take on the traditional 40 Hour Famine. Reid says she underestimated how tough it would prove, but she felt it was a worthwhile experience.
As for Cooper, she found her willpower ensured she stayed the course.
“I was with my friends at the time and they made [food]. I had to sit there while they ate it, but I felt quite proud of myself afterward,” she says.
Another classmate, Dineke Boshoff, walked 40 kilometres in 40 hours.
One of the most unusual of the self-prescribed challenges fell to Ankita Paul who accepted 40 dares in 40 hours.
“It was so weird. My cousin even dared me to eat a spoonful of burger sauce, which was quite interesting [because] I quite enjoyed it!”
World Vision NZ was developed to help families facing poverty. The challenge has become a core part of the organisation’s fundraising efforts, national director Thomas George (TG) Grant adds.
“The World Vision 40 Hour Challenge is part of New Zealand’s cultural heritage and it’s an honour that so many schools and community organisations show their support for this campaign.”
