I have been planning this article for some time now but due to Lent Term being so inevitably busy and my LUSU FTO election campaigning, it has been delayed for months. I’m happy I’ve finally got round to sharing this article with SCAN and its readers. In Lent Term, I was elected as the new VP (Campaigns & Communications). I was absolutely shocked yet extremely happy and appreciative that I was voted into this position. Despite the unfair criticism I received throughout campaigning and being elected, I believe I earned this win fair and square through relentless hard work and vow to prove the doubters wrong next year. I promised I would not let people down, and I know I will keep that promise.
Something I want to focus on in the upcoming academic year is the media coverage of student’s charity work. The reason for this is because I strongly believe in celebrating students’ successes and know of so many students involved with various amazing charities who deserve recognition. For me, charity work is an incredible thing to participate in and I personally love being involved in it. At the beginning of this academic year, I saw a page on Facebook called ‘’Lancaster Goes to Peru’’. I thought to myself, ‘’I have to get involved in this!’’ After finding out that students were required to fundraise for charity and reach a target of £2990 to be able to attend the trip to Peru, I knew this challenge was for me.
Students had the option of fundraising for either the Make A Wish Foundation or Action Against Hunger. I chose Action Against Hunger after researching it and finding out that the charity is an international humanitarian organization committed to ending child deaths from hunger. I feel that global hunger is something which is often overlooked nowadays because it is hard to believe that this issue is extant in 2015. I feel that we have become so desensitised by television adverts pleading for money to give food to impoverished parts of the world that hunger is sadly forgotten about. Unfortunately, the reality is that 52 million children under five in the world today are suffering from life-threatening hunger. Around one million children will die of hunger-related causes this year. It is for this exact reason why the fundraising team and I feel so passionately about fundraising for this incredible charity.
Action Against Hunger endeavours to provide families with access to safe water, good nutrition and sustainable solutions to hunger. They also intend to eradicate child malnutrition by sending a product called ‘Plumpy’Nut’ which is a ‘Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food’ to countries where children suffer from malnutrition. This food provides calories and essential nutrients that restore and maintain body weight and health. The charity works in three main areas which include responding to emergency situations of war and conflict, natural disasters and famine. Money donated to the charity is also spent on sanitation and hygiene, healthcare and advocacy. Action Against Hunger has helped over 40 countries worldwide thus far, including countries devastated by the 2004 Tsunami, families displaced by violence in Pakistan and also helped 24,683 Peruvian people struggling to access clean water, nutrition and economic self-sufficiency in 2013. The charity even has a humanitarian award which has been presented to some of the world’s most influential figures including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Two of Action Against Hunger’s most important missions at the moment are to help the South Sudan Crisis and victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal.
In order to help the charity, the team of Lancaster University student fundraisers have been involved in street collections, poker nights and speed dating events. Student Fundraising Leader and Law student Adam Jennings has been doing a 1000k fitness challenge whilst second year Media & Cultural Studies student, Jordan Copestake, has been organising a fashion showcase which will take place on Monday Week 10. As for me, I organized a Great Gatsby themed event at Revolution in Lent Term. I absolutely love 1920’s glamour and thought it would be a great theme to utilise. I invited the Glee Club and the Dance Society to perform, along with hiring a photobooth and Sugarhouse DJ’s Jack Sprigg and Neil Jackson. After months of promotion and organization, I managed to raise a grand total of £633.98. I’m also currently in the process of organizing another event for summer term as an end of exam party on Saturday Week 9: the theme will be “Zoo Project”; be sure to look out for posters and a Facebook event this term!
Katie Capstick is the VP (Campaigns and Communications) elect for the 2015-16 academic year. You can donate to her JustGiving page here. You can also donate to Team Lancaster’s page here and find out more information about the charity on the website.
