Could you survive on one small box of food for a week?

It’s always incredible when someone takes a stand not only by clicking a button and saying “I support that” but by putting themselves physically through a process to make a point. My friend Rebecca Melrose is doing just that and standing up for Refugees in crisis. She is living this week on a set of fixed rations to experience what it’s like to be a refugee and survive on limited supplies. Since 16th June, Rebecca will be working out ways to make her rations stretch over the time – while also maintaining a full time job. Go Bec!

Of course being in our first world situation we can never truly understand the desperate situation these people are in. Through sacrificing something from our lives and making ourselves uncomfortable we can however get a small glimpse. Rebecca has been sharing some amazing updates of how this activity is tracking and I will share some below.

Announcement on the 10th June, 2015: “Everyone who knows me well, knows I am a bit of a dreamer and idealist.

I have two pretty grand dreams:

1. Australia doing its part to alleviate the global refugee crisis by enacting policies which recognise both the value of welcoming refugees, and our responsibilities in the region

Tuesday 16th June: ”

Anything but rice… ‪#‎rationchallenge‬

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Your poems will be hitting your inbox any day now…

It’s so hard to write poems with no energy. Banjo Patterson must have been so well fed.

Thursday 18th June: “All I’ve eaten today is this. I’m pretty impressed I managed to make these out of nothing but rice flour, vegetable oil and my actual tears, but this serves as no consolation.

This is nowhere near the recommended dietary guidelines for adults and is certainly no way to nourish growing bodies and minds…

‪#‎rationchallenge‬“

To learn more about what the group is doing and how you can support this initiative, please see below:

The group has already raised over $4000 for the work of Act for Peace, and are hoping to raise $5000 with further community support. Funds raised provide tools, seeds, supplies and training to refugees living in camps on the Thai-Burma border.

Engadine resident and RSG member Bec Melrose is coordinating the team’s efforts.

“In refugee week last year, we hosted an interactive Refugee Camp at Engadine and Cronulla,” Ms Melrose said. “We found that the sample refugee food rations were confronting for visitors. It is difficult for most of us to engage with the refugee experience but through something as universal as food, we can begin to put ourselves in the shoes of refugees.”

Rob Taggart of Engadine is halfway through the challenge.

“It hasn’t been easy, as my wife Karina is also doing the challenge and we are juggling work, kids and other commitments at the same time,” Mr Taggart said. “But those challenges are nothing compared to what refugees face: living on small food rations for years and without certainty, having fled their homes because of persecution.”