A Dollar A Day

I live on approximately a dollar a day.

My breakfast of bread and coffee costs $0.25, my lunch costs $0.50, and my dinner can cost from $0.20-$1.00. It's not as if I have the super-power of thriftiness or I'm making an enormous sacrifice of self-deprivation; food is just cheap here, and there's nothing else I need to buy. Oranges are about 10 cents each, mangoes 25 cents, pineapples 20 cents, the list goes on. And it's all unbelievably delicious. (It's also organic, fair trade, and everything else I wish all food in America was.)

There are two main reasons it's so cheap. The first is that it's nearby and grows in abundance, so transportation isn't an issue, and the second is that Benin is such a poor country as a whole that no one would be able to afford the food if it were to cost more. In fact, approximately a third of the country (mainly those in villages) lives under the poverty line, meaning that many of them are also malnourished because they cannot afford to either buy enough food or buy the right food. The dollar I spend on food every day is a luxury for them.

I'm not writing this to evoke emotions of sympathy or guilt. Due to the average cost of food, it would be impossible to live on a dollar a day in most developed countries, even if you wanted to. But there are three things you can do:

1. You can take responsibility for your own consumption and at least be aware of what you're purchasing, what you're eating, and how much of it you're throwing away. Try to buy fair trade items when possible.
2. You can try to help groups that are actively working to make change. For example, check out http://www.kiva.org/, an international organization that facilitates micro-loans in developing areas. By lending $25 (that's the equivalent of about 6 lattes at Starbucks), you can help groups and individuals with projects, such as starting or improving their own businesses, which then allows them to buy food and/or send their children to school.
3. You can get involved in your local community. Volunteer your time at a homeless shelter, food bank, an after school program, etc.

I could end this post with something cliché and inspirational, like, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” but all I really want to say is, if you're already doing something, awesome! Keep up the good work. But if you're not doing anything and you're sitting around watching TV all day, get off your butt and GO DO SOMETHING!!!