Surviving on $2 a day

Finding the courage to live a meagre existence even for the cause of fundraising, can be a challenging and enlightening experience. FARZANA SHAKIR chats with Surjeet Kaur Sidhu, who did just that

When I heard about Surjeet Kaur Siddhu’s attempt to Live Below The Line from 5 – 10 September, I wanted to know more. The Glenwood resident survived on $2 a day in a bid to raise funds for the underprivileged.

Many people spend their lives cocooned in a cosy existence, blanketed from the harsh realities of life. For many, their greatest dilemmas and hardships could be as trivial as a loss in share prices, not being able to afford the latest Ferrari, or giving up a holiday in the Bahamas because of the global financial crisis. We justify these as legitimate reasons to whinge and be ungrateful. Man! Life’s hard for some! Never mind those who go hungry often, have little to cover themselves with, or are deprived of basic necessities like education, healthcare or even clean water to drink.

Currently 1.4 billion people worldwide live below the extreme poverty line, which means they subsist on AU$2 (US$1.25) a day.

“No way, impossible!” many would say. But that’s the sad truth and to drive the message home, the Global Poverty Project and the Oaktree Foundation ran Live Below the Line, a new awareness and fundraising campaign, from 2 – 6 August. The idea was to help understand the trials faced by those currently living in extreme poverty by inviting Australians to take up the challenge to feed themselves with just $2 a day, and in the process raise money for life-changing education programs.

Surjeet is a social worker by profession, working with people with disabilities. I ask what prompted her to take up the challenge.

“I read an article about Living Below the Line at work,” says Surjeet. “The information was not entirely new but the article triggered something in me. I am not one of those people who could ride around the world to raise funds, nor am I a celebrity who can persuade people to donate. Living on $2 a day is something I could do. I knew it was not going to be easy but that is what a challenge is all about”.

Surjeet had missed the original dates of the challenge, but persistence found her surfing the net in search of the relevant people to contact.

“A number of emails and phone calls went back and forth and finally, I was able to attempt the challenge on my proposed dates and they set up a fundraising page for me, even though I was late,” she reveals.

Surjeet has some fascinating tidbits to share on the experience.

“I must say it was not easy, but I managed. I found a very limited variety and getting a balanced meal was not possible on most days. No indulgences like chocolates, cakes, soft drinks or Indian sweetmeats etc. I shopped at the local Indian stores where the shop attendants were very helpful in measuring the exact quantities of dal, atta explained why I could only spend a very limited amount of money, and how even a little bit extra could affect my budget. I bought Home Brand tea bags and long life milk,” she says.

It was interesting to learn how she got ‘looks’ from the cashier at the supermarket.

“I would pick up 2 onions, 1 potato, 4 chillies, 2 carrots, 2 cucumbers and ask the cashier to weigh and check the price. Then I would put back one item or pick up a smaller one, and check the price again. I did this several times to keep within my $2 budget. The cashier thought I was strange - maybe even a little bit crazy! But once I explained to her the reasons, she became very helpful,” says contact over the phone to reduce loneliness and isolation among the elderly. She helped run the Life Issues Forum at Merrylands High School for young people, to discuss issues facing them and providing skills to deal with these issues.

“Living on $2 a day was very testing,” asserts Surjeet. “Not being able to afford fruit, snacks, meat and juices that we take for granted as a necessary part of our daily diet is physically and mentally challenging. But support from my husband Kulwant, as well as family and friends, kept me motivated. They were a great inspiration to me, and played an essential part in my success”.

So what did Surjeet discover after the experience, and how does she feel after it?

“It was a great experience that has left me humbled in many ways. It allowed me a peep through the window of poverty and have a first-hand feel of the extreme emotions, hardships and difficulties some people have to go through - although I only experienced a tiny part of poverty, with a warm bed to sleep in, decent clothes and a roof over my head. This challenge brings out the goodness in a person and encourages a wholesome attitude to life,” says Surjeet reflectively.

Surjeet maintains she’d be happy to do it again, but in the meantime she’s putting her acquired experience into practice. “I now buy only as much as I need, and am conscious of wastage and over-spending. I have also stopped buying my morning coffee. Suddenly, $3.80 for just a cup of coffee doesn’t feel justified, when I have lived on $2 for the whole day,” she confides.

Surjeet reinforcs further that, “Even though we are bombarded with images of poverty and misery every day, and we do feel sorry, but sadly, many of us do nothing about it.”

She urges all Indian Link readers to come forward and go beyond feeling sorry, and to take action and donate through her webpage: www.everydayhero.com.au/sujeet_kaur_ siddhu

At the time of writing this article Surjeet had raised $1430, and with the lines open till 10 October, you still have a chance to make a donation, however small, and do your bit to make a difference.