From October 6, dozens of Victoria University students will spend five days living off whatever meals they can make for $2.25 a day.

They have have signed up to take part in the Live Below the Line campaign.

Live below the Line organisers say is a physical and mental challenge that will change the way people see poverty and make a big difference for the world's poorest.

New Zealand participants have raised more than $1 million for various poverty-focused projects since 2011.

Live Below the Line is supported by Christian World Service (CWS).

Christian World Service is the development, justice and aid agency of a number of mainstream New Zealand Churches.

Sign up to Live Below the Line Challenge

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Stuff.co.nz

"In today's world, I believe extreme poverty and inequality are unjustifiable and unfair, and that's why I am taking part. Live Below the Line demonstrates the problem in a concrete way, while raising money to address the problem," said Bishop Duckworth.

"As a family, we took part last year, and it was amazing how much time we spent thinking about food. It made us realise how much we take our abundance of food for granted. Because Live Below the Line is over five days, it connects us in solidarity with the poor. It is no easy task as you wrestle with what you are going to put on the plate every day. It is humbling to realise that this is the daily reality for more than 1.4bn people in our world living in extreme poverty."

Live Below the Line is an initiative of the Global Poverty Project, an education and campaigning organisation whose mission is to increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action against extreme poverty.

In 2012, Live Below the Line is running in New Zealand, the UK, Australia and the USA, with more than 20,000 people spending 5 days living below the line.

Last year, Global Poverty Project's Live Below the Line was held in NZ for the first time.

Source

• Scoop
• Image: Suff.co.nz

Saturday's DomPost Your Weekend section ran an article "$2.25 Buys a big Lesson" where Ruth Nichol recalls her family being part of last year's "Live Below the Line" challenge. When she shopped for the minuscule amounts she could afford she was humbled to see other shoppers doing the same. But they weren't economising for just a few days. They shopped like this all the time. She was struck by how privileged her life is.

Many years ago with a couple of other Sisters I ran a Mission in the west of New South Wales with the local Aboriginal people. We ran a medical clinic, pre-school and junior school on a pittance and aimed to live as closely as possible to the people around us.

But I learnt that despite all our intentions we could never truly live their lives. We had the education and the networks, which enabled us to escape. We never faced the despair and sense of helplessness that seemingly never-ending poverty can bring.

Probably the big thing "Live Below the Line" achieves is that it raises the awareness of the general population of how others are struggling to survive.

And these are not only the 1.4 billion people in developing countries but also thousands of low-income New Zealanders.

Perhaps with celebrities raising the consciousness of many of us it may prevent the snide remarks of some prominent businessmen when the organisation "The Living Wage" was launched last week. Perhaps some celebrities may even lend their fame to help New Zealanders who are finding it so difficult to raise their families despite their hard work. Perhaps they may join "The Living Wage."

Source

• Sr. Catherine Hannan