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As the GPP team prepare to Live Below the Line from the 16th - 20th, we've been seeing some inspiring stories being shared by participants around the country! As we countdown to the challenge week I wanted to share a few of my favourite Live Below the Line blogs from this month:
From Kristi Bryant:
"...For 5 days, May 16-20 I'm going to *breathe* most likely *GASP* be. without. coffee. This is big. I'll only have a budget of AU$2 a day to spend on my food and drink, and sadly, even though I'm tempted to ditch the food and concentrate on having really strong, sugary coffees, I think it would be more nutritious and better for my family overall if coffee and I took 'a break'. It's a good thing really. We'll be able to better our relationship with one another. For one thing, I'll have more time to think. I know what Coffee brings to the concept of 'US' but I feel that maybe I haven't been as giving as I could be. I haven't always looked at coffee's side of happenings. Where Coffee is coming from. Do you? Do you know where your coffee is coming from? Do you know if the growers payment was enough to cover the cost of producing your morning brew? Do you know if there is adequate infrastructure for the community in which the coffee was grown? Wouldn't you want some good healthcare and education facilities and initiatives for the people that bring something SO important into your life? I do."
From Tegan Wakeham (proving it's always important to post about campaigns on facebook!)
"So, I heard about Live Below the Line on the radio this morning and thought it would be cool to do it and give something back, but them reassured myself it was a foolish decision, and didn't give it much thought after that. That was until I saw one of my friends post about it on his facebook seeking donations. What an inspiration! Still not quite sure how I gained so much inspiration out of that one post, buuuuuttttt 10 minutes later, I was registered!"
From Pratik Gudhka:
"Live Below The Line is a wonderful campaign that allows individuals like myself to participate and make a difference in the fight against poverty. Not only do we raise money to help millions suffering from poverty, but we are actively participating in a concept that will allow us to understand what poverty has caused to many across the globe."
From Lizzie Parks:
"Recently, I've been reflecting on 'the why' - the reasons why I'm involved in this completely incredible campaign. Yesterday the Tasmania Live Below the Line team held their 'Dining Table Stunt' in the Elizabeth Street Mall in Hobart. We got some pollies along, some Hobart City Council Aldermen and The Mercury and Tasmanian news programs. Myself and Eva Mackinley had also spoken on ABC local radio that morning and I'd done a bit of an impromptu interview for a local radio station which had played on Saturday.
From where I was sitting, we were finally getting some exposure and I felt like I was actually doing my job, finally hitting my targets and not letting down the rest of the team. And then during the stunt, an older women walked up to me in the mall. She had tears in her eyes and told me that she had grown up living under the poverty line in Siberia. She told me that I couldn't even begin to understand what it felt like to live in poverty, to go to bed without anything, not even a slice of bread, and not crying about it, because they didn't have enough energy to cry. I didn't know what to say, I was standing there with tears in my eyes and all I could manage to say was, "thank you for sharing your story, this is why we're doing this, so eventually, no one understands what it feels like to grow up living in extreme poverty." She just smiled at me and said, "thank you". I have never witnessed extreme poverty for myself and in that one quick conversation between strangers, I was reminded of 'the why' - the reason why I spent pretty much all of Thursday and some of Friday and Monday, when I should have been writing a uni assignment, calling and e-mailing and generally harassing media about this incredible campaign."
And then check out what the Deputy PM has to say!
You can read more Live Below the Line participant blogs here. |
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