The Catholic Leader - July 2

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Keeping Faith with You
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Queensland Price $2 / $2.50 Interstate July 2, 2017. Issue 5458
THE Leader Catholic
could you
eat like a
refugee?
Brisbane Catholics take on challenge
to help feed people struggling in camps
By Emilie Ng
INDONESIAN migrant Mira Tedjo was
never forced to flee her country and become
a refugee, but she does know what it’s like
to eat like one.
During Refugee Week from June 18 to 24, Ms Tedjo
and many other Catholics across the country took up the
Ration Challenge by Act for Peace, an international aid
agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
The challenge invites people to eat like a Syr-
ian refugee living in a camp in Jordan while
raising money to help send extra food to
camps around the world.
As a participant in the challenge,
Ms Tedjo, who came to Aus-
tralia by choice as a teenager
14 years ago, received a
1.5kg box of rations to last
for one week.
The box included lentils,
rice, chickpeas, kidney
beans, sardines and vegeta-
ble oil – all of which are
the food typically served to
refugees in Jordan.
Solidarity: Mira Tedjo joined the
Act for Peace Ration Challenge
to raise money for people living
in refugee camps by eating like a
Syrian refugee for one week.
Photo: Emilie Ng
Recipes from the refugees were also given to participants as
part of the challenge.
Wanting to “do it tough” for the refugees, Ms Tedjo also
sacrificed eating items participants could earn through specific
milestones or bought separately, like spices, coffee and flour,
because they are considered luxury foods in refugee camps.
There were withdrawal headaches and fatigue on the first
day, and within days she could feel her immune system weak-
ening.
“Doing this Ration Challenge actually brought down my
immune system,” Ms Tedjo said.
It was an experience that has brought the Catholic parish-
ioner from Annerley in union with millions of refugees around
the world.
“I didn’t realise until I cooked the whole meal for the whole
week how little they really are served after I portioned it,” Ms
Tedjo said.
“I thought if the refugees are really going to eat that little
I will sacrifice myself and raise some funds for them, and I
won’t quit because we live a good life and we can eat whatever
we want here.
“I can’t imagine, how can they (the refugees) eat so little,
being an adult, eating one takeaway container – and it’s not
even full – for the day?”
At times when she wanted to quit, Ms Tedjo took inspira-
tion from the sacrifices made by one of the Church’s greatest
friends to the poor, St Teresa of Kolkata.
“I just think Mother Teresa is a great role model for doing
this. I mean, she would be doing the same thing,” she said.
After three days, Ms Tedjo raised $570 for Act for Peace,
raising more than $300 in just one day.
While she is now back to eating a regular diet, she knows
there are millions of Syrian refugees living in freezing condi-
tions who aren’t so fortunate.