April
Could you live on £1 a day for 5 days?
Amy Anderson, a staff member from Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Newcastle University, is not content with simply signing a petition when it comes to global poverty. In fact, the Newcastle resident has committed to Live Below the Line and spend just £1 each day for five days on food.
From April 28th - May 2nd, Amy will be joined by thousands of other people across the country and internationally who are taking the challenge. As a part of the Live Below the Line campaign, every single one of them will be spending just £1 each day on food and drink – the UK equivalent of the international extreme poverty line.Amy will have no shortage of company – in addition to the thousands taking part in the challenge, 1.2 billion people struggle to meet their daily needs on less than £1 a day.
“The biggest thing for me was when I found out that living in extreme poverty meant having less than £1 to spend in the UK. Sometimes we think to ourselves ‘but £1 would go so much further overseas’ – but that’s not the case” says Amy. “I couldn’t even imagine having to cover all my food, lodging, healthcare and education for £1 or less”.
Amy will Live Below the Line for 5 days to raise money for the Global Poverty Project to help fund the work they do to combat extreme poverty and is looking forward to the challenge of feeding herself with only £1 a day. “It’s less than half the cost of a bus ticket, so it’s going to be hard. But 1.2 billion people do this every day, and have to pay for much more than just food – so I’m sure I’ll find a way”.
Follow Amy's progress through the week on the Live Below the Line website as she updates her page with her daily food intake and lets you know how she is getting on!
published on: 30 April 2014