Climate crisis message shared
Former Mount Aspiring College student James Watson travelled to the Solomon Islands with World Vision recently and saw the devastating impact climate change has had on children and families.
The 18-year-old is now sharing the stories of those he met as part of his role as a Youth Ambassador for the World Vision 40-Hour Challenge.
He is visiting more than 100 schools in the lower North Island to inspire students to go 40 hours offline and raise funds to support children affected by hunger in the Solomon Islands.
Mr Watson was moved by the daily struggles of Solomon Islanders, who do not get enough to eat each day due to the climate crisis.
He recalled meeting 9-year-old Polyne, who had big dreams of playing football and becoming a nurse but faced challenges.
"Polyne has the heart and determination to make these happen, but she faces a huge roadblock — lack of food.
"Even the giant taro that once could feed an entire family is no longer growing in her community. It broke my heart to see how this severe lack of food has become normal for them."
Spending this valuable time in the Solomon Islands gave Mr Watson perspective and left him feeling New Zealand society could be very self-focused.
"We have an inclination to be all me, me, me. We forget that there are young people in other parts of the world who can't follow their dreams because they are struggling to get enough to eat each day," he said.
As a result, he encouraged peers to view the world as their one and only home.
Mr Watson has a long history with the World Vision 40-Hour Challenge and has tested himself with some big challenges, namely kayaking the length of Lake Wanaka and living in a cage for 40 hours to help raise funds for the campaign.
"I am excited to be carrying on with this kaupapa to make a difference for rangatahi who aren't being afforded basic human rights, like getting enough food. I hope New Zealand students will get behind the campaign this year so tamariki in Solomon Islands can follow their dreams just like we can here," he said.
"By giving something up we learn to connect with others, and we learn to be grateful for all the privileges we have in life."
Mr Watson's challenge this year will include going offline for 40 hours while he films 40 conversations about hope.
"In Solomon Islands we saw how much the people valued connecting with each other face-to-face and back here I saw how we have lost some of that ... I will be asking 40 people to share their stories of hope. I want to show that everyone has a story to tell, and that's what makes us human. Just like Polyne has a story and hope."
The World Vision 40-Hour Challenge runs from June 13-15, with sign-ups and donations via the website.
— APL
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