By Steve Hili
The challenge looms! On Sunday night we will be eating our last 'proper' meal and going to bed before waking up to face 5 days of trying to balance around the poverty line.
The reaction to the challenge has been interesting. The vast majority of people seem to understand what we are trying to do, others seem to take a perverse pleasure in sending me pictures of strawberry cheesecake (!), and a couple of people have said to me - you'll survive on that.
You'll survive on that.
Of course we will. 1.2 billion people survive below the poverty line every day. The point is not to starve to death, the point is that life has to go on.
We are trying to live on 1.21€. Not die. I have got stand-up gigs to do. I have got radio shows to present and produce. Other participants have got to do their respective jobs, kids have got to go to school. Conferences need to be attended. Business decisions need to be made. (Not by me though so rest assured!)
It is an experiment - live our life in this way for 5 days. Just to get a small taster (bad choice of word?) of what it would be like.
We are doing this (as well as trying to raise funds to support the incredible work our medical centre is doing in Cambodia) to raise a bit of awareness about a global situation.
And of course we are lucky. We are choosing to do this. Other people have no choice. Other people need to live like this every single day. Not only that but from their tiny amount of money they need to factor in other costs. Medicines. Transport. Heating.
On Saturday 17th May when it is all over, we'll be stuffing ourselves, eating whatever we want. They won't. For them the challenge continues.
The challenge looms! On Sunday night we will be eating our last 'proper' meal and going to bed before waking up to face 5 days of trying to balance around the poverty line.
The reaction to the challenge has been interesting. The vast majority of people seem to understand what we are trying to do, others seem to take a perverse pleasure in sending me pictures of strawberry cheesecake (!), and a couple of people have said to me - you'll survive on that.
You'll survive on that.
Of course we will. 1.2 billion people survive below the poverty line every day. The point is not to starve to death, the point is that life has to go on.
We are trying to live on 1.21€. Not die. I have got stand-up gigs to do. I have got radio shows to present and produce. Other participants have got to do their respective jobs, kids have got to go to school. Conferences need to be attended. Business decisions need to be made. (Not by me though so rest assured!)
It is an experiment - live our life in this way for 5 days. Just to get a small taster (bad choice of word?) of what it would be like.
We are doing this (as well as trying to raise funds to support the incredible work our medical centre is doing in Cambodia) to raise a bit of awareness about a global situation.
And of course we are lucky. We are choosing to do this. Other people have no choice. Other people need to live like this every single day. Not only that but from their tiny amount of money they need to factor in other costs. Medicines. Transport. Heating.
On Saturday 17th May when it is all over, we'll be stuffing ourselves, eating whatever we want. They won't. For them the challenge continues.
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