The 40 Hour Famine is always a highly anticipated event at Tauranga Girls’ College and 2022 was another fantastic year of fundraising and raising awareness.

With the 2022 theme of ‘change everything with water’, the TGC 40 Hour Famine Committee aimed to raise awareness about how far children have to walk each day to obtain water.

On Thursday 07 July, several hundred ākonga and kiako gathered on the field to begin walking, raising awareness and funds for those living with water scarcity. Collectively 641 laps were walked, simulating the distance some children have to walk each day to get water for themselves and their communities.

A sausage sizzle at the end of the event provided a tasty reward for walkers and helped to contribute to TGC’s fundraising efforts. House points were also awarded for the best turnout with Sheppard coming in first, Batten coming second, Whina coming third, Te Auetu coming fourth, and Mansfield coming fifth. It was great to see everyone getting involved for their houses and for the worthy cause of the famine.

Several hundred ākonga also carried out their own challenges for the famine, including no food for 40 hours, no technology for 40 hours, no furniture for 40 hours, only 40 litres of water for 40 hours, walking or cycling 40 kilometres, completing 40 acts of kindness and many other creative challenges. Ka pai to all of those who took part and helped to contribute towards the $2,700 raised by TGC!

Article by Ella Mitchell and Liv Marshall