Glenlola Teachers Experience Real Poverty
Last week Glenlola Collegiate teachers accepted the daunting challenge to “Live Below the Line” for five days surviving on what they can buy for just £1 a day!
The teachers joined forces with thousands of people across the World to raise awareness of extreme poverty to help people in the poorest countries lift themselves out of poverty.
Every day more than 1 billion people do not have enough food to eat, many surviving on the equivalent of £1 a day. By taking part in ‘Live Below the Line’ week the teachers at Glenlola were able to experience life below the line at first hand.
Brian Montgomery, Head of Senior School said “The healthy items on my usual food list were the first ones to go because they were simply too expensive” and Head of Biology, Lorna Monroe, added “Fresh fruit and vegetables are really expensive and protein is really a luxury.”
Chemistry teacher, Michael Shanks, stated “It certainly makes you think twice before picking up anything in the supermarket. Suddenly things you thought of as essentials are too expensive and have become unattainable luxuries!” Biology teacher Keith Dorman found own brand goods a good substitute for his usual purchases and wondered “Is it worth it to spend so much more on brand names?”
“Taking part in Live Below the Line has been a real eye-opening experience to the difficulties many individuals in extreme poverty face. To try and buy products that would sustain a balanced and healthy diet was extremely difficult”, History teacher Linda Moody said.
The teachers challenged themselves to buy ingredients and to cook interesting and tasty food. Some of the highlights are shown below.
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The winner of the best meal, as judged by Marc Harding, Head of Home Economics, received a prize from the Co-op.
Carolyn Larmour, Vice Principal, summed up the week by saying “While the challenge is tough, I am able go back to my usual diet at the end of the week – the 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty in the World cannot”
The Glenlola Collegiate Staff hope that by taking part they can encourage people to become better informed and to take action against extreme poverty and hunger.
Live Below the Line is the initiative of the Global Poverty Project, an education campaigning organisation.
