• 100,000 Canadian youth will participate in the World Vision 30 Hour Famine on April 3-4, 2009.
• Youth abstain from food for 30 hours to understand what hunger feels like and raise funds to fight poverty.
• The UN says 35 million children are expected to plunge deeper into poverty; teens want a recipe for change.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (March 24, 2009) —World Vision is calling on youth to become agents of change to help vulnerable children and families in developing countries survive the global recession. On April 3 and 4, more than 100,000 Canadian youth are expected to participate in the 38th annual World Vision 30 Hour Famine to raise funds to fight hunger, poverty and injustice.

While the economic downturn affects us all, the impact is more pronounced in poorer countries already suffering from higher fuel and food prices, conflict, poverty and HIV and AIDS. Some of the major consequences are child hunger and malnutrition. In the midst of this global crisis, teens around the world have risen to the challenge to combat hunger and make this their personal mandate.

“Preventing child hunger and malnutrition must be everyone’s top priority in response to the global crisis,” says Esther Park, event coordinator for World Vision.  “Canadian youth are doing their part in motivating their friends, families and communities to get involved in this initiative.”

By doing the World Vision 30 Hour Famine and raising funds for community projects in developing countries, Canadian teens are making a real difference in a world where millions of children die of hunger each year. Participants go without food for 30 hours, so they can experience what hunger feels like firsthand. They learn about issues of poverty and hunger from guest speakers and other events.

The 30 Hour Famine started in 1971with a group of Calgary teens who held a fast, moved to action by TV images of a famine in Africa. The event now involves youth in 21 countries annually.

Last year, youth raised $4.5 million through the World Vision 30 Hour Famine. This year the hope is to raise $5 million across Canada. The funds generated by the event will support projects to combat hunger, improve access to clean water and other development projects.

If you would like more information regarding the World Vision 30 Hour Famine campaign or are interested in doing the Famine and making it personal, please visit Famine.ca

-30-

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit WorldVision.ca.

For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact:

Corina Chevalier
905-565-6200 ext. 3899
corina_chevalier@worldvision.ca

Karen Flores
905-565-6200 ext. 3497
416-277-5563 (cell)
Karen_flores@worldvision.ca