Ten members of the Global Action Club at Drayton Heights Public School organized an assembly with a focus on world hunger on Oct. 21.
The club has 25 members made up of students from Grade 7 and 8. Its mission is to make a difference in people’s lives in the school, community and around the world.
The Grades 4, 5, 6 classes were split into three groups. The largest group (yellow) represented the 70 per cent of the population that never has enough to eat in countries like Cambodia, Sudan and Sierra Leone. The blue group represented the 20% of the world’s population that has enough to eat; residents of countries like China and Mexico.
The red group represented countries similar to Canada, the U.S. and England that make up 10% of the world’s population that has more than enough to eat.
The yellow group was given only rice to eat and “dirty water” (represented by tea) to drink. Some students received forks to eat with, others did not. They sat on the floor of the gym amongst scraps of Newspaper.
The blue group had the use of tables and chairs and were given rice and beans on a plate with kitchen utensils.
Pasta, fresh vegetables, Rice Krispie squares and juice were provided to the red group, along with a table and chairs and all the required utensils.
A discussion followed on world hunger and continued in the classroom.
Principal Mike McNamara encouraged the students to talk with their parents about the assembly and world hunger.
