This campaign was done to generate an awareness of billions of people around the world living below the poverty line and just a small way to reminds us how lucky we are to have what we have. I was successful in spending just $1.50 a day for whole day’s meal but it wasn’t an easy task. It looks doable by looking at mine or other campaign participant’s journal but there are very strict measures you need to follow to make it successful. First you have to buy very cheap basic food that last for really long time and food that are on sale. You also need to portion out your meal so that you have enough for the whole day and you are still under $1.50. Although I managed to be under or equal $1.50 ± $0.10, almost all of the nights I went to bed with a growling stomach because I wasn’t eating enough. On top of that since I wasn’t snacking during the day like I usually do, I ate dinner really early like 6-7 or as fast as I could cook. But by the time I slept, which was usually midnight, I was hungry as anything. I kept drinking water just to suppress it which helped to some extent but not that much. So I usually slept to avoid the hungry feeling. The day I ate an egg felt like having a feast because I cooked a proper egg curry and rice. It made me feel fortunate just to be able to eat an egg which might sound funny. But that is how it was. Also people who have just enough to fulfill their daily needs, don’t even think about extra stuff like a Starbucks coffee or a vending machine snack that we sometimes take for granted.
I don’t know if I made any impact on anyone by participating in this campaign but it definitely affected me. Overall it was a good experience, a good reminder that you are so much fortunate than so many people in the world. Learn to be happy about what you have and not whine about what you don’t have!
♥K!
