The 2020 Ration Challenge is almost here…

September 13th to 19th is going to be a tough week. It’s the week when I’ll be taking part in the Ration Challenge, in partnership with Concern Worldwide: a fundraising challenge which helps to support conflict and disaster-afflicted communities.

For seven days, I’ll be eating only the same food, in almost exactly the same quantities, that is distributed to Syrian refugees in urban refugee camps in Jordan. All I’ll be able to eat for that week will be the contents of the pack, all I’ll be able to drink is water, and I’m going to need to do a LOT of planning.

The pack contains:

• 420g rice
• 170g dried lentils
• 85g dried chickpeas
• 120g tinned sardines
• 400g tinned kidney beans
• 330ml vegetable oil

I’ve also got coupons that allow me to add a further 1.5kg of rice, and 400g of flour. And that’s it. Nothing to be added, bar a few additional extras (like a choice of one spice, or salt) that I can earn from reaching certain fundraising targets.

Last year was certainly an eye-opener (read my blog posts here). I lost 5lb in that single week, making me wonder how refugees can survive long term with limited food and nutrition. It made me realise even more just how privileged we are to have such easy access to a wide variety of foods. It was physically tough. I had ridiculous caffeine and sugar withdrawal symptoms. I had headaches. I felt pretty hungry. I had no energy. By the end of the week, eating was a chore, not a pleasure.

And I’m doing it again. I know it’s going to be a struggle – it wouldn’t be called a challenge if it wasn’t – but if I can make even the smallest of difference to some of these refugees’ lives, it’s more than worth it.

There are now almost 80 million people across the globe who are forced to flee their homes because of conflict or disaster – it’s the highest number on record. Parents struggle to feed their children, children miss out on their education, and as a result of a lack of basic medical care, people are dying. And with cramped and overcrowded conditions – as well as limited access to food, healthcare and basic sanitation – the fear is that COVID-19 is going to hit these communities harder than most.

My aim? To help more people to understand this issue, to show solidarity, and to make a practical difference – as far as I can – to the lives of these refugees who need our support.

I’d be incredibly grateful for any sponsorship to see if I can beat the £450 I raised last year. You can find my sponsorship page here, and I’ll be blogging my progress throughout. And if you want to take part in the challenge yourself, visit the Ration Challenge website.