Berwick sisters Gayertree and Santini Subramaniam have been living off $2 a day for the Live Below the Line fund-raiser. 51562 Picture: Stewart Chambers
BERWICK sisters Gayertree and Santini Subramaniam have been living on $2 a day to raise money to go towards building schools in Cambodia.
The pair took part in Live Below the Line, an awareness and fund-raising campaign designed to help Australians understand the challenges faced by those currently living in extreme poverty.
Gayertree, 18, and her younger sister spent the week eating rice, pasta and potatoes.
The Monash University student said they had to make sure their daily meals came to a total of $2.
“It was really hard. We realised how difficult it was to live off $2,” she said.
“Internationally, the extreme poverty line is defined as US$1.25 a day – the equivalent of $2 in Australia. 1.4 billion people are living this way and lacking the basic choices and opportunities that we take for granted.”
The challenge of Live Below the Line is for people in the community to feed themselves for just $2 a day for a five-day period during August.
Gayertree said she felt lethargic and tired while doing Live Below the Line.
“My sister was going to the wrong classes with the wrong books and I wasn’t concentrating during my lectures,” she said.
The teenagers raised close to $650, with the money collected not only going towards building schools in Cambodia, but also for the global poverty project, which aims to introduce poverty education at schools throughout Australia.
After finishing the fund-raiser a week ago, Gayertree said she was now more mindful of what she was eating.
“Before, I would go to a café and buy a coffee but now I’m more cautious about what I spend my money on and the amount of food I consume,” she said.
Anyone wishing to donate towards Gayertree and Santini’s fund-raising efforts can visit www.everydayhero.com .au/team_sub. – Kelly Yates
