Course Contre La Faim - William M. & Ulysse R. The ‘Course Contre la Faim’ is a yearly event that takes place in many countries throughout Europe and abroad. Many students participate in this race and commit to the fight against world hunger every year. The worldwide institution that organizes this race is called ‘Action Contre la Faim’ and was established in 1979. Its mission is to save lives by eradicating hunger in underdeveloped countries that suffer from conflicts and natural disasters. In fact, 260,000 students from 1,300 establishments participate in this project coming from more than fifty cities, both in France and abroad. The main objective of the event is for people to try and exceed their physical ability in order to help spread awareness and raise money for people suffering from hunger around the globe.
This year, the charity will use funds from the participants to finance their projects in Congo, where 27 million people don’t have access to sufficient food and live in poverty. In 2019, a new record was established as more than 3.6 million euros were raised for programs in Chad, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan.
How it works is that each student finds sponsors and tries to involve as many people in the project as possible. The end goal is for the participants to run as many kilometers as possible to raise money. After the race, each student multiplies their pledges by the number of kilometers they have traveled and returns to their sponsors to ask for their promised donation.
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This year at EJM, the ‘Course Contre la Faim’ took place during PE classes. Students were given a form which they needed to fill out with their sponsors who will pay a certain amount of money per kilometer. Instead of taking place in the school courtyard, the race was held at the Stade Suzanne Lenglen in the 15th arrondissement (due to Covid restrictions). The format of the race also changed, as students were put into groups of four and took turns running one 400m lap for a total of one hour, in a relay-style race. Overall, the participants enjoyed this break from their usual sports lessons and were proud to have helped raise money for an important cause. All students participated and a total of 160 laps was run in one class.
