No food for Sealion Scouts for 24 hours

The 24-hour Famine is the UK's biggest one-day youth fundraising event and Sealion Scouts and Explorers were a part of it. It was brilliant fun. We washed cars (raising over £200), played games, watched a film and finished with a party and an African meal.

For 24 hours on 18th and 19th February, Sealion Scouts and Explorers as well as many other young people throughout the UK went without food and had a fantastic time. Together, by collecting as many sponsors as they could, they raised much needed cash for orphans of HIV/AIDS - we hope over £2,000. This is to give them the comfort, protection and education they so urgently need. £72 allows World Vision to care for one orphan for a whole year.

The last 24-hour Famine raised a massive £500,000 to bring safe clean water and sanitation to some of the world's poorest people. Soon thousands of young people will be having the time of their lives.

One child is orphaned by HIV/Aids every 14 seconds. But this is not just a statistic. We're talking about real children, in desperate poverty, now trying to survive. Money from this year's event will be used by World Vision to provide much needed care, food, water, healthcare, and support for children orphaned by Aids - bringing children like Chimwemwe a new, safer and brighter future. Chimwemwe from Malawi is 12. Her parents are dead, victims of HIV/Aids, so she is now her 5-year-old brother's parent. They have virtually nothing. They cannot even afford soap, so are open to disease and infection. Their only food is the mango and pumpkin leaves nearby. Their only comfort in the midst of their trauma and bereavement is the blanket they share at night. The Sea Scouts have been learning about this in recent weeks; with games and activities as part of their ‘Global Challenge’ badge.