Leanne Hooper did & encourages others to take the challenge

Putney resident Leanne, is a Global Poverty Ambassador, who believes extreme poverty can be eradicated in a generation. Working alongside over 30 charities from across the country, Global Poverty Project’s awareness and education campaign – Live Below the Line –took place from 29th to 3rd May to raise awareness of the 1.4billion people worldwide living in extreme poverty. Leanne told PutneySW15:
" Having lived on a £1 per day on food and drink for 5 days last week I encourage you to sign up to Live Below the Line and take on this challenge."

Why £1 a day?
The World Bank has developed an objective way of saying what it means to be in extreme poverty, and therefore how many people are trapped in this scenario. They set an ‘Extreme Poverty Line’, stating that anyone who survived on less than this amount per day would be considered to live in extreme poverty. Since 2005, this line has been set at $1.25 per day in the USA. This is calculated for each country using Purchasing Power Parities, and for the UK has been calculated to be £1.

Earlier this month, some of the UK’s biggest culinary names including Omar Allibhoy, Chris and Jeff Galvin, Andrew Kojima and Emma McQuistan joined forces at London’s Leadenhall Market, serving up a 33.3p breakfast to commuters, to inspire support for the 2013 Live Below the Line campaign.

Believing that if we are to eradicate extreme poverty we must first understand it, Live Below the Line (www.livebelowtheline.com/uk), now in its third year, challenges people to eat and drink for £1 a day, for five days – the extreme poverty threshold beneath which 1.4 billion people worldwide must survive on each day. Support of this campaign ranges from the political and culinary worlds.

Leanne commented: “I took the Live Below the Line challenge again this year because of the insight it gives into what life is like for the 1.4 billion people around the world who live in extreme poverty. The most poignant lesson I’ve learned is the lack of choice that surrounds poverty. On a £1 a day the many luxuries I am so used to enjoying, such as a coffee on the way into work, or drinks out with friends are simply not possible. For me, the challenge only lasts for five days, but for 1.4 billion people this is a persisting reality. But we can change that.”

Gordon Ramsay, said: “I support Live Below the Line and the food for thought campaign. It is important to change the way we think about poverty and I hope you will all support the participating charities with the £5 for 5 days challenge.”

Participants of this year’s challenge will choose to raise money for one of 33 charity organisations who are supporting the campaign, including the major charity partners in the UK; Christian Aid, Malaria No More UK, Oxfam, Restless Development, Save the Children and UNICEF UK. The challenge will concurrently take place in the United States, Canada and Australia.

In addition, to support from Bonnie Wright, Melanie C, Gordon Ramsay and Arlene Phillips top chefs from across the UK including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jean Christophe-Novelli, have provided recipes that comprise the daily budget of just £1 – or 33p a portion. The recipes are all featured on an online recipe book hosted on Live Below the Line’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LBLuk where participants will also have the option to upload their own recipe suggestions.

Stephen Brown, UK Campaign Manager, Global Poverty Project, said: “There really is no experience or campaign like Live Below the Line. It helps you understand better the issues faced by the 1.4billion people who currently live extreme poverty, in a fun and engaging way. Learning about the difficult challenges they face inspires you to take more action too. We’re not trying to replicate poverty but give people a deeper understanding of it - it’s a transformational experience. Of course for those living in extreme poverty, it’s not just 5 days nor is it the choice between brown or white rice, but often the choice between feeding your family or life-saving healthcare for your loved ones. I urge everyone to sign up”

With the G8 Summit arriving in the UK in June, Live Below the Line supports the Enough Food For Everyone (IF campaign) and all actions to end global hunger. The world indeed produces enough food for everyone, but not everyone has enough food. Alongside 100 leading charities, we’ve joined together to demand an end to hunger.

In 2012, 20,000 people across the globe undertook the Live Below the Line challenge, raising over $3,500,000 for critical anti-poverty initiatives around the world and this year we hope to do even better.

To sign up to the challenge or for more information, please visit www.livebelowtheline.com/uk

May 9, 2013