A few weeks ago I decided to take up the Live Below the Line challenge. From 27th April – 1st May, thousands of people all across the world will come together to unite against extreme poverty. The challenge is quite simple, spend no more than £1 per day on food and drink for 5 days. This is a fantastic challenge to really raise awareness and to challenge myself and others to think differently about extreme poverty and the choices we make everyday.
The problem is…I absolutely love my food, usually I probably spend at least £30 on food for 5 days. I’m automatically drawn to the Tesco Finest, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference and Co-op’s Truly Irresistable range. I would go for quality over quantity every day of the week, which makes this challenge so much harder! I also play sport at least four times a week so my calorie intake has to be pretty high to be able to maintain my energy levels. The realisation of this challenge has just set in….this is not going to be easy!
Live Below the Line have teamed up with some of the best charities in the country whose work is vital both in making sure we fight extreme poverty through our actions in the UK, and that we support people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries. By doing this challenge I am raising money for Farm Africa. I had never heard of this charity before so I was really keen to learn more about the work that they do.
What I love about Farm Africa is that it is very different to most charities. They don’t give handouts, or quick fixes, they help farmers grow their families out of hunger permanently. Farm Africa believes that Africa has the power to feed itself, they work directly with farmers to help them unleash their potential to feed Africa’s people. They offer pioneering techniques that boost harvests, reduce poverty, sustain natural resources and help end Africa’s need for aid.
With your help, Farm Africa can provide families with goats that will provide milk to feed their family and to sell at the market, meaning they can build a brighter future for their children. Don’t just take my word for it, Michael Palin is also a great supporter of the charity…
For more information on Farm Africa and the incredible work that they do visit www.farmafrica.org.
Could you live on just £1 a day? Why not take the challenge yourself to live below the poverty line and join Team Farm Africa to help put an end to extreme poverty. If you don’t fancy the challenge then why not make a difference and donate to such a good cause, every penny counts www.livebelowtheline.com/me/thatideasgirl.
With just two weeks to go, it is time to start the menu planning….wish me luck!
You can follow my Live Below the Line updates on Twitter, Facebook or stay tuned on thatideasgirl.com.
Are you taking on the challenge this year? Have you done it before?
I’d love to hear about your experiences and any top tips that could help me!
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comments so far
April 13, 2015
Great blog post – thank you so much for signing up to Live Below the Line as part of Team Farm Africa. We’re so pleased to have your support. Let us know if we can do anything more to help.
April 13, 2015
Thank you so much for the lovely comment @farm_africa:disqus. You do incredible work and I’m really proud to be a part of Team Farm Africa. Thanks also for all the support you have given me in the lead up to the challenge, you’ve been a great help 🙂