Turn a night of fear into a night of hope! This Halloween, international children's charity World Vision have teamed up with TV chef Lesley Walters to encourage people to create a lantern of hope for children this Halloween, by carving a heart in their pumpkin, instead of a scary face.
Every year at Halloween, children around the UK head out to trick-or-treat and create frights for themselves. But millions of children in the world’s poorest countries live in real fear every night of the year.
One child who World Vision helped was Sylvia from Uganda, who lived in fear of being married to a man three times her age. Now, with the help of her local World Vision Child Protection Committee, she no longer lives in fear. Sylvia, said: My brothers told me that if I refused to take a man as a husband they’d carry me into the bush and force me to get married anyway. But thanks to World Vision, we were offered help and advice. I have been able to stay at home with my family and do not worry about the future for me or my five sisters.”
Lesley Waters, is leading the campaign for World Vision and has created a Night of Hope pack at www.worldvision.org.uk/anightofhope. Lesley said: “I want to look at Halloween in a new light this year and stand with children who have no choice but to live in fear. As a parent, I enjoy carving pumpkins with my children and creating treats for the whole family to enjoy. This year we will be carving hearts into our pumpkins as a mark of hope for children whose fear is very real every night of the year.”
How to carve a pumpkin heart for a Night of Hope
1. Cut around the stalk
Choose a large pumpkin and use a sharp serrated knife to cut off the crown. Measure a circle about two inches (5cm) radius from the stem, and angle your knife to the centre of the stem when cutting to make sure your lid doesn’t drop into the centre once you’ve hollowed it out.
2. Scoop out the insides
Scoop out the filling and scrape the sides as clean as you can so that more light will shine through your pumpkin. Set aside your filling, which you can use in Lesley’s ‘sticky pumpkin tart’ recipe in your Night of Hope pack.
3. Carve the heart
Using a marker pen, draw the outline of your heart onto the pumpkin. Then use a small sharp serrated knife to cut out your heart (always cut away from you in case the knife slips).
4. Finish with a light
Finally, place a tea light inside the pumpkin and light it. Put your pumpkin in your window and share this night of hope with your friends and family.
Go to www.worldvision.org.uk/anightofhope to find out more and download a free pack.
