SCHOOLCHILDREN and teachers in Wagga and surrounding areas are being invited to experience the hardships of refugees by taking up The Ration Challenge during during Refugee Week on June 16 to 23 this year.
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Participants will get sponsored and raise much-needed funds to help children and families threatened by conflict and disasters around the world.
The Ration Challenge is described by organisers at Act for Peace as "a powerful and thought-provoking fundraising initiative that empowers Australian students to stand in solidarity with children who are living as refugees in other countries".
Every student registered by their teacher will receive a ration pack in the mail that contains the same rations, in the same quantities, as those distributed to Syrian refugees in camps in Jordan.
The rations include rice, beans, chickpeas, lentils, fish, oil and flour.
Student Jemima said that the challenge is a wake-up call.
"It's one small thing you can do that can help you widen your perspective and it can help create meaningful conversations with your parents, friends, grandparents and community," Jemima said.
School teacher Chris Goodman said the initiative is a wonderful way for children to learn about the wider world and not just the bubble they may be living in their own suburb or community.
"It pushes kids out of their comfort zone and it also encourages them to interact with other students and teachers and share their experiences," Mr Goodman said.
"It is incredibly powerful and rewarding on many levels and also brings together a real sense of community - something that is so important in these days of social media, which ironically can be quite isolating for young people."
Similarly, Act of Peace cofounder Karen McGrath said: "By eating what a refugee eats, children are stepping into the shoes of another person in another country and experiencing just one of the many struggles that refugees face on a daily basis".
The Ration Challenge was established in 2014 and since then, more than 40,000 people have signed up to take part.
A total of 92 Australian schools signed up for the program when it piloted for the first time in schools last year, in which teachers and students raised more than $315,000.
The money raised from the Ration Challenge will go towards helping refugees to receive the food, medicine and support they need to rebuild their lives, and support other conflict and disaster affected families around the world.
To register, visit The Ration Challenge online.
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