So, it’s official.
Having a social conscious is the new black.
And I’m not afraid to admit I’ve zealously jumped on the bandwagon.

While some can reel off infinite stats about the environment at the drop of a hat, having recently commenced a course in international community development I tend to “educate” (a.k.a. irritate) my ever patient friends and family on global poverty.

Consequently, I decided it was time to practice what I preach by taking part in the inaugural “Live Below the Line” challenge in the hope of modifying the lives of those living in extreme poverty.

Born over a few beers in a Melbourne share house
(as the best of ideas tend to be! ),
“Live Below the Line” is a new campaign from the Global Poverty Project and the Oaktree Foundation designed to help Australians understand the challenges faced by 1.4 billion people currently living in extreme poverty worldwide. With proceeds going to a dynamic new education initiative in Cambodia, the week long challenge asks participants to live on $2 of food a day in order to grasp the difficulty and lack of freedom and choice that is inherent to those living in extreme poverty.

To get an idea of what $2 a day will buy you, here’s my grocery list for the week:


As you can see, there wasn't a lot of freedom for variety, and this was reflected in my meal plan which looked something like this:

Breakfast: oats with milk and banana/pear Lunch: bowl of frozen vegies Dinner: rice and dahl (soup consisting of lentils, capsicum and onion)

Whilst I felt I was going strong on day one and two (I’d even almost managed to convince myself that I actually enjoyed plain rice and vegetables!) day three onward was a slippery slope to a dark, dark place!

On day three I was forced to rock out sober- style at a gig, day four I RSVP’d no to a dinner catch-up date at my fave restaurant, and day five (a Saturday) I stayed at home watching movies (sans popcorn) while my friends busted a move on a far away d-floor!

I began to realise how central food and drink are to my social life and began to ponder if my friends would suddenly disappear in strange circumstances should the challenge continue…

Whilst the challenge only lasted a week, I definitely felt it gave me some insight into the feelings of entrapment felt by those living in poverty – it’s not about the food, but about the lack of choice, security and freedom associated with living below the poverty line.

Having successfully survived on $2 a day, I realised what a wasteful, excessive life I lead.
This message hit even harder when I realised that the $2 for those actually living the reality covers ALL living expenses.
The rent I paid, the water I drank, the electricity I consumed, the classes I attended, the public transport I used were excluded from my total, but are not excluded from theirs’ – an incomprehensible thought.

A quote I read in one of the other participant’s blog on the Live Below the Line site really sums it up well:

"Something this experience just keeps screaming at me is how strong people who live in extreme poverty must really be. If they can survive, raise a family, concentrate in school, sustain a business and maintain a certain level of peace with the world in those conditions - on less than $2 a day for everything - imagine what they could achieve if given the same opportunities we have been given." – JJ

If you’d like more information on global poverty, or on the proposed Cambodian education initiative that this year’s Live below the Line will fund, visit www.livebelowtheline.com.au. If you’d like to donate, please go to www.everydayhero.com.au/anna_jolly.