Imagine not being able to use your phone for forty minutes. Now, what about forty hours?
The Forty Hour Challenge is an annual event designed to raise money for children who live in poverty, or don’t have the same privileges as you and I. The challenge is hosted by World Vision, an organisation with the aim of improving the lives of children, families, and communities that face poverty and injustice in their daily lives.
Though frequently referred to as the forty-hour famine in Aotearoa, food is not the only thing you could give up to fundraise. Participants can give up anything important to them– their phones, sleeping on a bed, or even talking!
To fundraise, participants have to find sponsors who are willing to donate money if the challenge is completed. These sponsors can be anyone – friends, family, community members. Be careful though, a sibling or friend may trick you into not talking for forty hours!
One eager participant, Micayla Diongson, has commented that getting involved in the challenge has given her a new perspective on life, saying, “Knowing that there are kids that are less fortunate makes me grateful and being part of this extra-curricular gives me a sense of fulfilment knowing that I’m taking a small action that could help.”
Can you join us in the challenge for 2026? For more details, make sure to go take a look at the World Vision website under ‘40 Hour Challenge’, or send an email to Mrs Hsu or Mr Beesley.
Remember, every small action counts towards painting the bigger picture; screen-free for forty hours could give someone food for the day, and a future tomorrow.
