First City University College (formerly known as KBU International College) organized the annual 30-Hour Famine DIY Camp for the fourth time in its bid to support and promote corporate responsibility. Being a strong advocate of giving back to the society, First City UC hosted a total of 129 participants from various high schools for the camp which was held from 23 -24 July 2016.

Besides providing the venue for the event, the students of First City UC were also actively involved in organizing the camp as 9 of the students acted as the event’s committee members. The camp was held under World Vision, a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. The main purpose of the camp is to instill a stand against hunger and poverty by raising funds for projects on combating hunger and poverty. The participants will spend 30 hours fasting and learning about hunger issues in the camp.

The energy and discipline displayed by this year’s participants are in keeping with the strong theme for this year’s camp which is Hunger Must Go! “The participants’ willingness to go without food for 30 hours is indeed commendable. I was impressed that students at such a young age would have the discipline and tolerance to forgo life’s comforts and suppress their hunger for such a long period of time,” said Professor Dr Ho Chee Cheong, the Vice-Chancellor of First City UC.

“Students get first-hand experience on how it feels to go without food. It is hoped that with this experience students will realize and appreciate how lucky they are and also learn to treasure things in life that they might have taken for granted. I hope this experience will also inspire the students to participate in similar events in the future in order to understand more about the sufferings of others,” he added.

To strengthen the impact of the event, World Vision Malaysia also sent their staff, Hosea Wong to share with the participants the history and mission of World Vision and educate them on their previous work. Besides that, artist Fabian Loo also shared his experience of volunteering in Vietnam.

Alice Koh Lai Zhen, the camp leader also shared her feelings on the Famine event. “I feel really proud to be a part of this meaningful event and helping to increase awareness about hunger around the world. The event filled me with a sense of accomplishment as I managed to successfully influence around a hundred people to fight against hunger,” she said.

There was never a dull moment at the camp as participants were kept entertained with various activities and performances by famous artists such as Wee, Zen, Bell, Huang Qi Ming, Alvin Chong, Vivian Chua and Gin Lee. First City UC Idol contestants Dan Rui Yaw from the BA (Hons) Interior Architecture Design progamme and Wendy Oon Chee Yen, a student in the Diploma in Interior Design Programme also contributed to the event by giving their performances.