My live below the line experience.

My facebook friends have been subjected to daily hunger posts from me and are probably suffering from Live Below the Line fatigue by now. On the last day, food is all I can think of, and so it might be beneficial to remind myself why on earth I signed up for this and my experiences while completing it. 

The live below challenge is to eat and drink for $2.25 per day. This amount has been adjusted to the New Zealand economic environment from the global extreme poverty line figure of $1.25US per day, which more than a billion people live on. The idea is to raise money for an anti-poverty organisation, and I chose ADC who is helping break the cycle of poverty in Myanmar and Malawi. 

When Nick and I were in India we saw a lot of people living below the line. One image that I won’t be able to get out of my head anytime soon was of a man suffering from leprosy losing the coins we had given him through the stumps of his fingers and scraping his barely there digits along the road to try and retrieve the money. Firstly, the developed world has moved on from leprosy and it is now totally unheard of, and secondly, it was one of the saddest sights I have ever seen. To me it optimised the desperation of everyday living that over a billion people experience.

Another eye opener was in the Philippines. We chose to go to the Island of Palawan known for its gorgeous beaches. I felt so guilty lying on the beach, day in and day out, while those around me slaved away to make a living and while I wanted to buy everything that was offered to me, I couldn’t, and my tourist dollar didn’t go far enough. 

Relaxing in Port Barton, Philippines. This cute dog was one of the few lucky ones that didn't suffer from mange.

I was shocked to come back to sweet little New Zealand and walk the length of Queens Street and see all the people asking for a bit of coin. It brought it home that poverty is a global issue, and we in New Zealand are not exempt. 

  

I feel very lucky to not have to live hand to mouth every day, and to have a family and support network to back me up if things ever got so tough, but I also feel it is my responsibility to try and help in some small way. This is an avenue I can go down to do that, but I also want to help more here at home. 

India has seared images of extreme poverty into my head, but equally the kindness that took place there has had a profound effect on me also. Whether it was restaurant workers refreshing thirsty street kids, or sharing food on the train, or giving money to someone who may not even have asked for it – I got a warm gooey feeling every time I saw it and vowed to help in small ways like that here in New Zealand when I saw an opportunity – instead of walking past, doing nothing, and regretting it later.

Awesome mural in Varanassi, India.

I am currently in between a breakfast of banana on toast and kiwifruit, and a lunch of two minute noodles, mixed veges and carrot. It doesn’t sound too bad on paper, but this is the fifth and final day of the same food cycle and it will be followed by a repetitive dinner of tomato soup (with mixed veges and carrot) and rice. 

It’s not actually the food that’s hard to stomach, it’s the lack of variation and because my meals are set out and I have exhausted my budget, there is no room to deviate. I can’t go to the dairy and grab a satisfying pie or go into the cupboard and grab a few peanuts, things that don’t cost a lot but are out of my price range.

I have also noticed how so many social events revolve around food and drink. Our neighbours invited us around to dinner and I couldn’t go – well I could, but it wouldn’t be that pleasant for me or for them. I’m also keen to join a Spanish/English exchange group, but the thought of doing that without the aid of alcohol was a bit too much. I can barely speak comprehensible sentences in English in my hungry state let alone in Spanish with a bunch of people I don’t know. So I have missed out for five days. 

I feel guilty that I am planning to spend three times my five day budget on pizza at midnight and wash it down with beer – I can return to my normality while for over a billion people this is their reality – in fact worse than this, because they have to factor in electricity, transport, housing (if any) and expenses into their daily budget and not just food. But I also feel good. I feel good that I raised over $500 for ADC who are pulling people out of extreme poverty through micro-finance projects.  And anyone who donated to an anti-poverty organisation should feel good too – because we are trying to do something to help.  

      

Nick, whom I live with, isn’t taking part in the challenge, and the one thing I relish in is the fact that I have a food plan and I’m not stuck on what to have for dinner - no matter how monotonous and bland it may be. I see him come from work and stare at the contents of our cupboards hoping they will just jump out and create something amazing. So it has taught me some useful food planning skills that will hopefully cross over into regular life and to limit the amount of money we spend on crap we don’t need.