Before going on the 1.4 Billion Reasons tour, the New York City Global Poverty Project office did Live Below the Line together as a group. As you will see from the above video, it wasn’t always easy. We complained. We overcooked our rice at one point, leaving it mushy and almost inedible (we still ate it). We stared anxiously at our bananas, hoping they didn’t rot by the week otherwise we wouldn’t have breakfast. We were cranky.

 

Through all of this, though, we were also more aware of our privilege and inspired by the profound difficulties faced by the world’s poor. We lived on $1.50 for food and drink for a week, but it was for only a week.  I can’t imagine living for longer than a week, or what it would be like to go to school or work on a farm with so little food in my belly. It also made me more conscious of what I, as an American, can do to champion these issues. The United States has historically participated and advocated some of the most important and influential aid projects (think the Marshall Plan) and it is possible to see a huge change in the span of a lifetime. Join us.