‘Strike’ for Hunger : Fasts Focus Attention on Famine in Third World

Julie Justus and Johannes Van Vugt were guests of honor at a UC Irvine banquet Saturday night, but they weren’t planning to eat a bite.

It seems the university decided to honor the two students just when they were in the middle of a fast to highlight the plight of famine victims in Africa and also to stir interest for donations to fight hunger on that continent.

Justus, 21, of Covina, UCI student body president, had been selected the university’s outstanding senior. Van Vugt, 30, a graduate student, had been chosen to receive a community service citation for his efforts to help famine victims.

“It’s going to be hard; we aren’t going to eat. It’s actually kind of funny,” Justus said.

The two are the stalwarts of an 18-student contingent that has been camped in front of the University Center since Tuesday in an effort to bring $10,000 in monthly pledges for the war on hunger in Africa. As of noon Saturday, they had raised $3,500 and vowed to continue the fast that they are calling a hunger strike until the goal was reached.

Strike Began as Last Resort

Van Vugt said the hunger strike, in which the students are drinking only water and fruit juice, was started as a last resort when they failed to draw attention to the project. He said faculty and staff members and graduate students at UCI and the medical school had largely ignored a call to raise the pledges.

“What does it take to make people make a commitment to end hunger?” Van Vugt asked as a student hurried by without responding to a plea to contribute.

“That’s the hardest thing . . . to see people just walk way,” Justus said.

Van Vugt, who has lost 10 pounds during the fast and who looked haggard Saturday morning, said he was concerned about the apathy that has greeted the group’s effort.

“If we were fighting a war, everybody would be willing to give $5 a month to win the war,” Van Vugt said. “Well, this is a war. If it mattered enough to people, we wouldn’t be on a (hunger) strike.”

At the pace pledge donations are coming in, the students probably will go another week before meeting their $10,000 goal. But they said the four tents stretched out the lawn will remain their home until the goal is met, no matter how hungry they get.

Volunteer Joins Group

One of the strikers, Bruce Andersen, said many students are not taking the strikers’ motives seriously, thinking that the volunteer effort is “trendy” because of the recent attention given to famine in Ethiopia and other African nations.

“Hey, this is not trendy. It’s not trendy to be starving,” said Andersen, 21, who Friday visited the university health center because of dizziness.

While the students wrapped themselves in blankets to protect themselves from the morning’s chill Saturday, they welcomed a new volunteer to the cause. Shelly Manaster, 19, who earlier made a contribution, said she decided to begin fasting to try to rally more support from students.

“I didn’t want to fast before because I didn’t think I could do it,” she said, “but it’s obvious that it’s going to take more people to get involved to reach the goal.”

While the UC Irvine students camped out on campus Saturday, other Orange County residents concerned about world famine concluded a three-day “hungerthon” organized by the Alliance for Survival. About 50 of the participants, who for 72 hours lived on a diet of rice, bread and water, ended their semi-fast at the Plaza of the Flags outside the Civic Center in Santa Ana.

Former Rep. Jerry Patterson (D-Garden Grove) told the sparse crowd at the noon rally that their numbers needed to grow to fight famine in the world.

“Let us all, together, publicize what we are trying to do--to make a commitment,” Patterson said. “We are not here to bemoan something, but we are here to do something personally (about hunger).”

Patterson also said he is “proud” that Congress recently voted to provide $600 million to help hunger victims in the Third World.

Contributions to the Irvine students’ fund may be sent to the Associated Students-UCI, 205 University Way, Irvine, 92717. Pledges can also be made by telephone by calling 856-5547.