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16 July 2011

Kiwis live on $2.25 a day to fight poverty

For five days this August, thousands of Kiwis will be living below the international poverty line of $2.25 a day to cover their food budget. This difficult challenge is part of a new fundraising campaign called Live Below The Line, aimed at combating extreme poverty around the world.

These participants will use their daily experiences to bring extreme poverty to the centre of conversation in homes and workplaces. They will gain a better understanding of the daily challenges faced by those trapped in the cycle of extreme poverty, and at the same time, they will be fundraising for 5 different charities that are fighting poverty in a myriad of different ways. These charities are Oxfam, Volunteer Service Abroad, Global Poverty Project, P3 Foundation, and Christian World Service.

Will Watterson, Director of the Global Poverty Project, says “These participants will all be challenged. They will struggle without caffeine, and have a faint feeling of being not quite full for the whole week. They will pool money with flatmates, colleagues or family to make that $2.25 stretch just a little further.”

“They will do all of this because whilst they choose to struggle to Live Below the Line for one week, there are 1.4 billion people who have no choice other than to do it every day. Think about that figure – 1.4 Billion – that is over 300 times the population of New Zealand – living every day to live in the most abject poverty.”

For people who live in extreme poverty that $2.25 has to cover far more than food and drink. It has to cover everything – health, housing, transport, food, education. It is impossible to imagine, but it is the incomprehensible reality for an incredible number of people.

Many might think that $2.25 goes a lot further in developing countries. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The $2.25 figure represents the amount someone living in extreme poverty in New Zealand would have to live on, for all of their needs.

“We’d love a lot more people to get involved” says Watterson. “When they ran Live Below The Line in Australia earlier this year they raised AUS$1.4million for crucial anti-poverty initiatives. Wouldn’t it be great if we could match that! The difference it would make for those living in poverty would be immense”.

Anyone wanting to take the Live Below The Line Challenge, or support someone who is, can find out more at www.livebelowtheline.co.nz.

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Who are the Global Poverty Project?
The Global Poverty Project was started by two young Australians in 2009, and since then has spread to New Zealand, the USA and the UK. Our head office in New Zealand is on Allen St in central Wellington.

Our vision is to see a world without extreme poverty within a generation. To achieve this vision, we are campaigning for the doubling of aid budgets worldwide, the eradication of polio, greater aid transparency, the establishment of fair wages, and the creation of preventative measures for corruption.

The Global Poverty Project is best known for 1.4 Billion Reasons, its 30 to 90 minute world-class multimedia presentation. Since its July 2009 debut, 1.4 Billion Reasons has been delivered to more than 60,000 people. More than 27,000 people have since made a commitment to help end extreme poverty.

We at the Global Poverty Project are passionate about equipping everyday people with the tools to make a real difference in the fight against extreme poverty. Our focus is on connecting people to the organizations, issues, and causes that demonstrate great promise in making big impacts.

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