Live Below the Line 2012

Live Below the Line is doing an encore week 15-19 October.  It's your chance to raise funds to help more people escape poverty.  Sign up for the new challenge and start asking everyone you know to sponsor you to spend $2.25 a day for five days.  That's how much the global extreme poverty line is in New Zealand dollars.  1.4 billion people live on no more than this each day and it's not enough. 

CWS is inviting you to help young people in South Sudan to escape the poverty into which they are born. Sign up for the challenge or sponsor someone who has done it.

Thanks to the 32 people who did the challenge from 24 - 28 September.  Stories coming soon.

More about Live Below the Line

Spending $12.25 on food for five days is a sure way of experiencing the grim reality of global poverty at home. Raising funds for young people in South Sudan at the same time, will provide a connection that makes the whole experience meaningful.This is the second year CWS has taken part in Live Below the Line.  It is an event organised by young people who want to see great change happen.  If you want to keep up too date on the campaign, contact the CWS ambassador Lara.

Why should I support CWS?

CWS works to support communities around the world to improve lives and livelihoods and to fight global poverty, as well as providing disaster relief. The money you raise from doing the Live Below the Line challenge through CWS will go to the Maridi Service Agency (MSA).  It is an organisation run by young people in South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. MSA is improving local education, running the onlylocal radio station, Maridi FM, and helping former child soldiers as they re-join society. By accepting the Live Below the Line challenge with CWS, the money you raise will allow the MSA to improve life in South Sudan for children and young people.

What do you need to do?

Promote this idea to your friends and family - you get to eat better with a group.  Register on line and find sponsors.  Let us know how it's going.

Download the special recipe book to help you live on $2.25

What will you learn?

For 5 days in September, thousands of people across New Zealand will spend just $2.25 each day on food, and use their daily experiences to bring extreme poverty to the centre of conversation in homes and workplaces. We’ll all be challenged, we’ll struggle without caffeine, and have a faint feeling of being not quite full for the whole week. We’ll pool money with housemates, colleagues or family to make that $2.25 stretch just a little further….

We’ll do all of this because whilst we 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 - that’s over 300 times the population of New Zealand.

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

How will you help?

The funds you raise will help young people take charge of change in South Sudan!
Young people know best what young people need. That’s why we’ve backed this South Sudan group which is run by people between 15 and 30 years old.

South Sudan has been torn apart by decades of civil war.  They became independent on 9 July 2011 and it has been tough going.  Tension is high with Sudan and fighting is spreading in the east of the country forcing large numbers of people to flee their homes.  Maridi is in the state of Western Equatoria, a more settled part of the country.  Throughout South Sudan there are few roads and little infrastructure.  There are large numbers of former child soldiers and returned refugees. 

Helping people rebuild their lives when there are few opportunities requires large amounts of creativity.  Youthful energy is a definite plus.  MSA has lots of it and will do more if we can raise more funds to help.Already they have made some huge steps forward:

•    They started the first radio station in time for the vote for independence for South Sudan.
•    Not to mention pure entertainment and information for young people by young people.
•    They have got kids who first learnt to kill going back to school in peace to learn the skills required to build prosperity and a new nation.
•    They have got computer skills classes going to leapfrog development straight into the 21st century.
•    They don’t lecture about HIV and AIDS in a land where these are real killers. Instead they put on soccer tournaments that just happen to also offer education on HIV and AIDS.
•    They run schools on little or no pay to pass on the education they have got to 250 senior students. They have also set up two nursery school and are training 16 teachers.
•    They have set up child safe recreation centres that have served as the first stepping stones into normal life for former child soldiers using other ex child soldiers as counsellors.
•    Former and escaped Lords Resistance Army soldiers were often sex slaves and some girls come back pregnant and traumatised. Maridi workers help them reintegrate with their communities.

 

Live Below the Line 2011

Congratulations to the 15 individuals, families and teams who took on the Live Below the Line Challenge with CWS.  Living on just $2.25 a day for food was tough going.  They went without to get an idea of what it is like for the 1.4 billion people who live on less.

Live Below the Line was organised by the Global Poverty Project from 22-26 August.  Each of the group sort sponsorship for their efforts for the 5 days.   They raised $7750 which will directly help the Maridi Service Agency in South Sudan (see below). Nationally 350 people took part and together they raised $112,000 for the 5 organisations working to end global poverty. CWS has been impressed by the energy and their efforts of all those who took part.  You can still contribute by going to the Live Below the Line and choosing one of the heros fundraising for Maridi.  Follow the link and choose a hero raising funds for Maridi at: http://fundraise.livebelowtheline.co.nz/event/livebelowthelinenz/sponsor_a_friend

Report from the Frontline

What Devashini ate

Devashini Devanandan reports:
“Living Below Line was a great experience. It was definitely a challenge, as it was during the last week of the first half of 2nd semester (which involved a few tests to study for!) but I’m glad I took part, and am very happy with what I’ve raised for CWS.
 
I went shopping and bought: a packet of pasta, a loaf of bread, a tub of margarine, 6 eggs, can of tomatoes, can of baked beans, 2 carrots, 3 apples and a packet of cookies. While I didn’t find myself feeling too hungry, I found five days without my daily coffee and tea very difficult (I fell asleep during my 8am lecture!). Towards the end of the week the lack of variety in my meals was making me feel quite lethargic. Not having the freedom to choose what to have for lunch/decide to go out for dinner with friends really made me think of poverty not being a matter choice.”