On a trip to Kenya a few years ago as a high school student Jordan Galloway first saw real poverty.
He was visiting the country with the Lacombe-based non-profit A Better World.
Galloway said at a Kenyan school many of the children didn’t have shoes and the students didn’t have lunches to bring to school so they were given tea to drink.
He said many of the children looked malnourished, but despite that they were happy to be in school.
Now age 18 and in his first year of the bachelor of education program at Red Deer College, the image of those students has stuck with Galloway.
When a World Vision catalogue arrived in the mail at Christmas giving ideas for donating he wanted to find a way to help.
The musician and actor was also inspired by a Temple of the Dog song titled Hunger Strike.
He started in January by fasting for one week to raise money for World Vision and was joined by other friends.
Now he has plans on March 1 to fast for 14 days, with other people fasting afterwards.
He plans to set up a table at RDC to let students and others know about what he is doing and why.
Galloway said he looks up to Mahatma Gandhi, who was known for his non-violent protesting methods and ability to inspire.
“He lived his actions,” Galloway said.
“One of my favourite quotations by him is: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ And that is exactly what he did. He wasn’t hypocritical. He didn’t say you guys should all do this, but I’m going to do this. I don’t think he told anybody to do anything.
“He literally just did everything himself.”
Galloway said he tries to live that way.
He said he knows he can’t change people, but he tries to educate and influence them through his own actions.
“I’ve met some people who are openly against helping, but I don’t think that is the general population. I think the general population either doesn’t realize the influence we can make or they’re apathetic towards it, they just don’t think about it,” he said.
“So what I try to do is read all the time to make sure I have my facts and I try to live my actions.”
In all, Galloway hopes to raise $1,500 for World Vision to help feed children in developing countries.
More information is available by searching Facebook for the group Hunger Strike, which has Galloway as the administrator.
The Facebook page also gives a link to where people can donate to the cause on the World Vision site.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com