£1 a day for 5 days - An Explanation

First things first, the pre-requisite knowledge you need is that I love food. I often have 4 meals a day, love a excessive amount of biscuits with a cup of coffee and can boast in having a good record at 'all you can eat buffets' (always getting value for money) and finishing a whole 18" pizza all by myself (nicknamed the bin-lid pizza).

Between Monday 15th and Friday 19th April I am going to live on £1 a day for 5 days for all my food. I am doing it now to encourage others to participate in the national Live Below the Line challenge which is from 29th April to the 3rd May 2013.

So that's what I am doing but why am I doing it you ask?

I am currently an intern for Christian Aid working with youth and students in the North East of England and as such my days are filled with travelling around attending, leading and participating in events where the main focus is on poverty, injustice and inequality. Day to day I work in an environment where issues and images relating to poverty are discussed and are therefore part and parcel of what we do. I do talks regularly talking about Christian Aid's work and the IF campaign and therefore have to read up on issues such as climate change, HIV/AIDS and hunger.

Global poverty an the fact that 1 in 8 people go to bed hungry is never far from my thoughts and actions.

I have had the privilege of spending 11 weeks in Africa over the past 4 years, working and volunteering in a variety of contexts. In my time in Kenya and Zimbabwe I have seen with my own eyes what poverty looks like, smells like and been told by individuals and communities what it feels like. Scenes in the Kibera slum in Kenya made me sad for the people who had to suffer from the realities of living in poverty, disgusted by the conditions that were 'normal' and angry about the injustice that has led to dignity, freedom and hope being stripped from fellow human beings.

My motivations for my work come from my experiences in Africa and I can tell you in detail of what hunger looks like and what problems it causes but I can't truly say that I can tell you what it feels like. So by living below the line for 5 days  I hope to broaden my own horizons by not just talking about what I have seen but step out of my comfort zone and go some way to standing in solidarity with individuals like Celina, Mabandla, David and Jonah who I have met on my travels.

I am excited about embarking on this 5 day venture as I know I am going to find it challenging but in the past I have always chickened out by drawing upon an excuse of being too busy or it not fitting in with my plans. This year I am probably busier than ever but feel this is something that I can't not do and experience for myself. I'm not doing it for my own pride and reputation or writing this blog to make you feel bad but simply to challenge myself and anyone who reads this about our everyday decisions and choices relating to food.

I will be updating this blog each day clocking my thoughts and feelings during the challenge and there is also going to be some video blogs showing some of the food I will be eating.

See you on the other side