A campus activist group will assist in a worldwide effort to set a Guinness World Record Sunday, when it hosts a rally against global poverty on the Great Lawn.Positive Foundations-a group aiming to end poverty and support economic development in sub-Saharan Africa-will host "STAND UP Boston" as part of a two-day worldwide effort to have as many people as possible stand at one time in order to urge the United Nations to follow up on its Millennium Development Goals.

The UN set these goals six years ago to fight extreme poverty-defined as the circumstance in which a person lives on less than $1 a day-and its contributing factors, including hunger, gender inequality and disease.

The event-along with about 100 others worldwide-is shooting for a new Guinness World Record for the largest amount of people standing up for one cause.

Sam Vaghar '08, a coordinator for Positive Foundations, said his goal on Sunday is to educate people about the plight of the world's 1.2 billion people living under extreme poverty so his group can gain support for its cause.

"How are you going to fully support something you don't fully understand?" he asked. "Let's stand up against extreme poverty and support the [Millennium Development Goals] together."

Positive Foundations is the only college group in Massachusetts-and one of two in the nation-participating in the effort, event coordinator Seth Werfel '10 said. He said he hopes to bring the group's message to as many people as possible from Brandeis and in Boston.

"We're raising awareness about a global emergency," Werfel said. "We need to shed light on what these 1.2 billion people go through."

Werfel said he hopes Sunday's record-setting attempt will "get people psyched up" about the issue.

In addition to the standing, which starts at 4 p.m., Prof. Can Erbil (ECON) will give a presentation, Lizzy's Ice Cream in Waltham will provide free ice cream and a campus band will perform.

Vaghar said he hopes to attract media attention from within and outside campus. He is also extending invitations to the Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates.

The eight goals set forth by the UN are to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and create a global development partnership.