By Derek Schlennstedt
Miles Curry, a Year 12 Healesville High School student will be living on the same food rations as a Syrian refugee as part of a national fund-raiser that highlights the plight of refugees.
From 18-25 June, Miles will join more than 10,000 people in Australia by participating in the Act for peace ration challenge.
For a week Miles’ diet will consist of 1.2 kilograms of rice, lentils, tinned sardines, tinned kidney beans, dried chick peas and 300 millilitres of vegetable oil.
He said he decided to take up the challenge when he was scrolling through Facebook and saw it advertised.
“For one week I’ll be the on same rations as a refugee,” he said.
“I’m going to have to give gym up for the week, which I go to three times a week, and really cut back on as much exercise as I can.”
All the money raised by Miles will go towards supporting Syrian refugees including
providing food rations, medical care, education and psycho-social support.
Altogether the act for peace challenge has raised $1,647,342 – enough to feed 5720 refugees for a year.
Miles will have to ration out the amount he will be eating each day, and keep check on the amount he has left.
“I have to ration it out day by day to ensure I don’t go through all my lentils or rice.”
“it’s definitely going to make me appreciate meals more and I think it will really give me an appreciation of how good we have it in Australia,” he said.
