What’s it like to live on $2 a day? [Class Assignment]
by Catherine LaineNovember 5th, 2006
We hear the figures repeated over and over again. 2.7 billion people live in moderate poverty (defined as comsumption levels of $2 a day or less. But that $2 figure is hard to get your mind around. What does it really mean in terms of day to day vulnerability and sacrifices? The students in Professor Amy Smith’s Fall D-lab (MIT) class recently got a taste. The class assignment(pdf) was to spend a week living at $2 day. Here are the specifics.
The average Haitian citizen has $1.39 to spend each day, in India the average is $1.23. It is diffi cult to imagine what this is like, so your assignment is to experience it directly. For the next week, limit your spending to $2 per day. Try to minimize your reliance on pre-existing resources (such as using food that is in the pantry, eating your room-mates leftovers etc.).
While it is true that the cost of living is higher here in the US, you will also have access to resources that are unavailable to most citizens in developing countries that you do not have to pay for on a daily basis (shuttle bus service to your dorm or fraternity, free access to computers, drinking fountains that provide safe water, central heating).
Write a one-page paper on your experience.
I’m going to drop an email to the students of the class to see if I can post some of their position papers as i’m really curious about their assessments. From talking to a few, it seems that they had a variety of strategies ranging from biking everywhere, eating a lot of ramen noodles and fried rice, to pooling resources to increase buying power.
Update: 3 Student Profiles
What’s it like to live on $2 a day? (Vidushi Tekriwal, MIT)
What’s it like to live on $2 a day? (Yang Yang, MIT Media Lab)
What’s it like to live on $2 a day? (Jessica Lee, MIT)
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January 8th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Hello!
I am interested in encouraging others to also try eating for less and have started a new blog, http://2dollardifference.com, to give support and resources in this awareness raising activity about hunger in the world by experiencing eating for $2 a day.
Would you (or the others involved in this project, though it has been several years ago) be willing to visit my new blog and make a comment about your experiences of eating for less? I would also be happ
I applaud your efforts to draw attention to issues of hunger and I hope that you will support the cause through this method of mutual support. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
All good wishes!!
Anne