Students on 30-hour fast to raise cash for flood relief

ABU DHABI // There probably won't be anyone skipping breakfast this morning after almost 100 children stayed in school last night to finish their 30-hour fast to raise money for Pakistan flood relief.

So far, pupils from the American International School have raised almost Dh50,000 for charities in Pakistan, after this summer's natural disaster killed 2,000 people and left two million homeless.

The World Bank estimated damage to the country from the July floods was standing at $9.7 billion.

Qosain Mefona, a 16-year-old pupil at the school, raised Dh550 by washing cars in his neighbourhood.

"A 30-hour famine puts you in someone else's shoes," he said. "You have a greater appreciation for where they are now."

The money raised by the students will go to Médicins Sans Frontières, the Red Crescent, and Kushal, a group of young Pakistani professionals who have quit their jobs to help flood victims.

The goal of the school's activities is keep the community aware and help students make a personal connection to the issues, said Leanne Fleming, who teaches the International Baccalaureate programme at the school.