Norfolk church youth slum it for a night
 A group of 30 young people from Sheringham Baptist Church survived in a home-made slum for a night last weekend in order to raise awareness of the plight faced by millions of people worldwide.
On Saturday May 7, the thirty young people built themselves shelters from old pallets, tarpaulins, string, curtains and even cardboard in a field at Alby Hill in North Norfolk.
They were challenged to find food, fetch water, then endure the night in their shelter. They were drawing attention to the plight of those around the world who live in slums, and survive on the most basic of food. Mobile phones, game players, MP3s, hair straighteners, cameras and watches were strictly forbidden.
 The food was as basic as it gets. “They survived on a small bowl of rice and dahl (lentil curry), and breakfast was just a slice of plain bread” explained the church’s youth pastor Pete Skivington, “And to cap it off, we had a shower of rain during the night – but they survived and remained remarkably cheerful. Around a sixth of the world’s population have to live their whole lives like this – Our young people had to manage without their luxuries for just one night.”
The project is part of a national initiative, known as “Slum Survivor” – part of “Soul Action”, highlighting the billion people in the world living in extreme poverty. The money raised from sponsorship of this event will go to Soul Action to help to alleviate the suffering of such people.
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