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Live Below The Line 2014 - Dubai, UAE - Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

Live Below The Line 2014 - Dubai, UAE - Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

 

 Live Below The Line 2014, Dubai, UAE 

 Live Below The Line 2014, Dubai, UAE with Sabeena Ahmed and the Little Fair Trade Shop

Live Below The Line 2014 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 

Introduction

During April/May of 2014 I decided to participate with Practical Action and Live Below The Line 2014 UK to highlight how 1 billion people around the world slept hungry every night and lived on less than one dollar a day.

The issue is one that is very close to my heart as my fairtrade work focuses on alleviating poverty.

Fairtrade supports the Sustainable Development Goals, and every individual deserves to live with dignity, respect and not spend a single night hungry.

I have summarised my experiences of the 5 day challenge below.

At the time of the challenge the exchange rate was 1GPB = 6AED.

My budget for 5 days was 30 dhirams.

 

QUOTE

'Someone else is happy with less than what you have.'

ANONYMOUS

 

 2nd May 2014 - Day 5 (The Final Day)

Live Below The Line Day 5, 2014, Dubai, UAE with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

 Day5 - #LiveBelowTheLine2014#Dubai#UAE

 

Here is a breakdown of my food cost for Friday 2nd May 2014.

BREAKFAST

0.22 - 1 slice of toast

0.10 - tsp peanut butter

0.15 fils - fairtrade teabag

0.22 fils - 14ml cream

0.12 fils - 2 1/2 tsp sugar

Total = 0.82 AED



LUNCH

0.62 fils - 1 egg

0.22 fils - 1 slice of toast

0.5 fils - 1/4 tsp tomato ketchup

Total 0.89 AED



DINNER

1.13 AED - 300g chick peas

0.2 fils - spices

0.2 fils - 1 small onion

0.2 fils - corriander

0.2 fils - garnish

0.1 fils - a slice of tomato

0.5 fils - canola oil

0.75 fils - 75ml diet coke

0.37 fils - butter

Total 3.65 AED

Total cost for Friday 2nd May 2014 = 5.36 AED...

Balance of 8.14 AED - 5.36 = 2.78 AED

I'm very pleased I managed to eat within my weekly budget of 30 AED.


Many thanks to my dear sister Seema Bari and Zeba Qureshi from Manchester and Bolton, UK for their generous donations.

 

 

 1st May 2014 - Day 4 

 Live Below the Line 2014, Day 4 with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

 Day4 - #LiveBelowTheLine2014#Dubai#UAE

 

Here is a breakdown of my food cost for Thursday 1st May 2014.

 

BREAKFAST

Total = 0.00 AED

 

LUNCH

0.75 fils - 75g flour 

15g sugar 

0.37 fils - 10g butter 

1.05 AED - 175 ml milk 

0.05 fils - 0.5g salt 

0.15 fils - fairtrade teabag 

0.22 fils - 14ml cream 

0.12 fils - 2 1/2 tsp sugar 

Total 2.48 AED

 

DINNER

1 AED - 100g yoghurt

0.12 - 20ml milk

1.69 AED - 1 banana

Total 2.81 AED

Total cost for Thursday 1st May 2014 = 5.29 AED...

Balance of 13.43 - 5.29 = 8.14 AED

 

 

30th April 2014 - Day 3

 Live Below the Line 2014, Day 3 with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

   Day3 - #LiveBelowTheLine2014#Dubai#UAE

 

Here are my costs for Wednesday 30th April 2014.

 

BREAKFAST

Total = 0.00

 

LUNCH

0.75 fils - 75g flour

0.37 fils - 10g butter

0.15 fils - fairtrade teabag

0.22 fils - 14ml cream

0.12 fils - 2 1/2 tsp sugar

Total 1.57 AED

 

DINNER

1 AED - 100g yoghurt

0.75 fils - 75g rice

0.45 fils - 1 small potato

1.35 AED - 65g mixed vegetables

0.20 fils - 1 small onion

0.5 fils - spices

0.5 fils - oil

Total 3.85 AED

Total cost for Wednesday 30th April 2014 = 5.42 AED...

Balance of 18.85 - 5.52 = 13.43 AED

 

I was very upset when I received a message from the Live Below Line Team, UK suggesting I wasn't making an effort to raise the profile of the campaign.

I had posted on social media and contacted The National and Gulf News newspapers for support. What is a girl to do?

I felt my efforts weren't appreciated and that the team in London were unsympathetic and were oblivious to the circumstances regarding UAE social media law/regulations.

As a UAE resident I am prohibited from posting any links for donations or crowdfunding pages without the approval of the UAE government.

The automated message specified I was struggling to raise awareness and I deemed it was derogatory and inappropriate.

I was demotivated. I honestly thought the whole purpose of the 5 day challenge was to experience what its like to live below the poverty line, feel hunger and not care about how monetary targets?

Enough of my rant...

On a lighter note...

I was elated to receive a message from Nastascia Radice curator of TedxDubai, who wanted to discuss my experience as a participant of Live Below The Line Dubai, UAE and attend a Tedx Salon next month.

Unfortunately, I couldn't attend as I had to care for my mother who was coping with metastatic breast cancer.

 

 

29th April 2014 - Day 2

 

Live Below the Line 2014, Day 2 with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

    Day2 - #LiveBelowTheLine2014#Dubai#UAE

 

 Here are my costs for Tuesday 29th April 2014.

BREAKFAST

0.9 fils - 30g 0ats

0.41 fils - 1/2 a banana

1.2 AED - 15g blueberries

Total = 2.52

 

TEA

0.58 fils - 50g cous cous

1.51 AED - 3 baby courgettes

0.20 fils - 1 onion

0.5 fils - spices

0.5 fils - oil 

Total 2.39 AED

 

DINNER

1.25 AED - 2 eggs

0.20 fils - 1 onion

0.5 fils - spices

0.5 fils - oil

Total 1.50

Total cost for Tuesday 29th April 2014 = 6.41 AED...

I did manage to carry a balance of 1.26 from Monday so currently I have a

balance of 18 AED and 85 fils.

It was very challenging second day as I had a terrible migraine all day. 

 

28th April 2014 - Day 1

 Live Below the Line 2014, Day 1 with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

Day1 - #LiveBelowTheLine2014#Dubai#UAE

  

A breakdown of costs for Monday 28th April 2014

NO BREAKFAST

Costs - 0.00

 

BRUNCH

0.44 fils - 2 slices of toast

0.37 fils - 5g of butter

0.22 fils - 15g cream

0.15 fils - fairtrade teabag

0.20 fils - 2  1/2 tsp sugar

1.35Aed - 1 apple

 

Total 2.73 AED

 

DINNER

0.5 fils - 50g rice

0.26 fils - 50g moong dal

0.5 fils - 1 onion

0.15 fils - spices

0.30 fils - oil

0.15 fils - tomatoes

0.15 fils - yoghurt 

Total 2.01

Food costs for Monday 28th April 2014 = 4.74 AED...

 

During the first day of the challenge and I was feeling under the weather.

I just couldn't stomach any food all day.

I managed to find the strength to get to the kitchen and make myself a fairtrade brew, 2 slices of brown toast and eat a small apple.

I had a sore throat and decided to have an early night.

I prayed for a better day tomorrow, Insha'Allah, (God willing). 

Thank you for supporting Practical Action and their work to help end global poverty.

 

 

27th April 2014 - Preparation

 Live Below the Line 2014, Weighing food with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

Weighing my food for Live Below The Line 2014

 

I finally measured my ingredients for Monday's menu.

Am feeling silently confident. 

Looking forward to my healthy breakfast of 30g oats, half a banana and 15g of blueberries. :)  

 

Conclusion

I'm so pleased I signed up for the challenge. It was a definite eye opener into the lives of millions who live on less than 1 dollar a day. It has given me a better understanding of money, farmers, the price of food, what it means to live without daily comforts and a life without basic necessities.

From a personal perspective it was a challenging 5 days and health wise the migraine on day 2 was debilitating.

Disappointed I didn't receive any support from the Practical Action team in the United Kingdom.

I thoroughly enjoyed preparing the meals for days 4 and 5 and capturing images for this blog.

Eternally grateful to my family in the United Kingdom for supporting my campaigns and fairtrade initiatives.

 

About Practical Action and Live Below The Line

Practical Action is an innovative international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

Source: Practical Action

 

Live Below The Line 2014, Dubai, UAE with Sabeena Ahmed and The Little Fair Trade Shop

THE CHALLENGE

Living Below the Line challenges individuals and communities to eat and drink on just £1 a day for 5 days. By taking part you will shine a light on the 1.2 billion people who live below the extreme poverty line and help people to think differently about hunger and the choices we make every day.

In 2015, our 696 Live Below the Line participants raised over £50,000 to combat malnutrition around the world

Will you challenge yourself and join them in the fight against hunger?

There is enough food in the world for everyone and yet tonight 1 in 9 people will go to bed hungry. We want to change the way people in the UK think about hunger and in the process raise funds to end it. By challenging yourself to live on £1 a day for food and drink, you can help us achieve this.

 

 

Further Reading and Links

Practical Action

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/lilfairtrade

Take Practical Action and Live Below The Line 2014





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