LIVING ON A DOLLAR A DAY

I could not live on 1 dollar a day, could you? Did you know over 1.2 billion people in the world do? Yes, that’s billion with a B. Yesterday, I watched a film about four college students who traveled to a rural Guatemalan village to see if they could make it on just one dollar a day like so many people living there do. To make the challenge more realistic, they drew a dollar amount from $9 to $0 each day to see how much they had to spend. Many of the people in the village are day laborers, meaning they work when they can and get paid only when they work. Some days they make nothing. The students, Zach, Chris, Sean, and Ryan endured many hardships. As their new friend, Anthony, told them it is not just about having enough money, it is about having money to survive. It is a constant worry. The people of the village must make hard choices. Do I use the money to buy food, or medicine, or school for my children? Even saving enough to buy a stove can make a difference in a family’s life.

Seeing this film and realizing the struggles of so many people around the world made an impact on me. My complaints seem trivial in comparison. What about you? Can you put yourself in someone else’s shoes? Can you imagine what it is like to send your children to school hungry? Or even make enough money to send them? Do you know what it is like to drink impure water? Water without parasites? To live without electricity, heat, air conditioning, or a bathroom? Feel free to comment.
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