This weekend, 16-18 June, tens of thousands of rangatahi around the country will participate in a range of fun, creative and exciting challenges as part of The World Vision 40 Hour Challenge.

Those taking part will carry out challenges over 40 hours to help raise money to provide clean water to communities in Malawi, where every day 11 children under the age of five die from diseases related to dirty water.

Challenges underway this weekend include:

• Palmerston North students will live off just 40 litres of waters over 40 hours
• Riccarton High School students are creating films in a 40 hour film festival
• Middleton Grange School is doing a 40 hour radio broadcast
• 40 students from Auckland’s Kingsway School are packing 200 hygiene packages for the Auckland City Mission in 40 hours
• World Vision Youth Ambassador Emily Ridd will complete 40 paintings to comprise a large artwork up for auction on Trade Me

World Vision 40 Hour Challenge Ambassador and rugby star, Caleb Clarke, says while 40 hours may not seem like a long time, the impact that can be made in just a weekend is phenomenal.

"This is a must-do youth event and one that thousands of people are getting behind again this year. It’s great to see the awesome and creative challenges young people are taking on and to know that the money they raise will be truly life-changing for kids in Malawi,” says Clarke.

To mark the event, a record number of prominent landmarks will light up orange in support of the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge. Some of the 23 venues taking part include:

• The Auckland Lightpath
• Eden Park
• Christchurch Airport
• Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre
• Whangarei’s Victoria Canopy Bridge
• New Plymouth Clock Tower
• Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
• Palmerston North’s Hopwood Clock Tower

World Vision’s International Partnerships Director, TJ Grant, says the excitement is building ahead of the weekend.

“Thousands of young people are gearing up to take on a range of fun and interesting challenges this weekend! We are so grateful for the support of schools, churches, families, friends, iconic landmarks and our incredible ambassadors – they are all playing an important role in cementing the impact of the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge here in Aotearoa,” he says.

Globally, millions of children have poorer education, health and wellbeing because they don’t have safe water to drink. One in five children worldwide does not have enough clean water to get through the day and many have no option but to walk for hours to clean water sources.

Climate change is making things even harder as drought, floods and other extreme weather events destroy crops and land making it more difficult for many communities to access food and clean water.

Fundraising efforts will help World Vision continue to:

• Build new water systems so entire villages will have clean water close to home
• Bring emergency water to refugee camps
• Provide schools hand-washing stations to protect students from diseases
• Train community members to maintain water pumps so that clean water continues to flow for years to come.

World Vision’s goal is to bring clean water to everyone, everywhere it works in more than 100 countries around the world by 2030.

"Together we can bring life-changing clean water to children in the world’s toughest places and help their communities to keep clean water flowing for years to come. We’re driven to help build a future where everyone, everywhere has clean water,” adds Grant.

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