Live Below the Line

What is Live Below the Line?
Live Below the Line is a challenge to spend 5 days feeding yourself with $2.25 a day – the New Zealand equivalent of the extreme poverty line. Participants collect donations for their chosen charity - in my case, The Global Poverty Project. The aim is to give a glimpse into the lives of 1.4 billion people who have no choice but to live below the line every day, changing the way people think about poverty - and making a huge difference through fundraising efforts- by challenging everyday people to live on the equivalent of the extreme poverty line for 5 days. Read more here.


Where does the money go?

Participants can nominate one of several charities to receive the donations that they're collected. I've selected 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. They're different from many organisations in that they're passionate about equipping people to make a real difference in fighting poverty, so they focus on connecting people up to the organisations and issues that have the biggest impact. They're best known for their world-class multimedia presentation 1.4 Billion Reasons, the End of Polio campaign, and for running Live Below the Line itself. Read more here.


Why am I participating?
Because I'm a global citizen and believe we all need to do our bit! Those of you who knew me in NZ will know that I was very involved in different organisations and charitable projects while living there, and this involvement is something that I've really missed while living overseas, its been like losing part of my identity. While Live Below the Line doesn't yet run in Germany, I will participate in the New Zealand event from here, converting $2.25 NZD to €1.40
Support me here.


How will I share what I'm up to?
In addition to blogging about the experience here, I will be posting links to a lot of media produced by the Global Poverty Project and Live Below the Line, and I am thinking about a few other projects of my own to do over here, so watch this space!


How can you support me?
Either by signing up for the event yourself, or by donating money here. Everyone's support is very much appreciated.