£7 challenge - day five

Today was a lentil day so see Sunday and Tuesday for food details. There was no homemade rice pudding today, but we did have a delicious homemade rice and vegetable soup for lunch, to supplement a peanut butter sandwich and half an orange. The soup was made with 80g of rice, a stock cube, 1 carrot, a tiny bit of parsnip, and a little bit of swede, a slice of onion, and a clove of garlic - and water.

Jilly left a comment on 'Get Planning' in which she mentioned using homegrown vegetables. Having the self imposed responsibility as the maker of the rules, I have previously said 'no' to the use of homegrown veg. My thinking is that many of those who are living on $1 or $2 a day do not have access to growing their own veg. But some of them will. So the fact that Jilly is able to grow her own veg. is a real benefit to her diet, and if she also had her own chickens, pigs, cows etc. no doubt she could enjoy free eggs, milk and bacon - as long as they were free range/free grazing and didn't need feeding.

Which brings me on to the point I want to make, and that is about making a difference. One thought I have repeatedly had is that it is all very well doing this challenge for a week, but what difference will it actually make? What changes can I actually make here in the UK to my lifestyle, that will make a difference to someone who only has £1 a day to spend, not just on their food, but on rent, transport, medicine, schooling...?

And the point that Jilly raises is an important one. If I had received an extra few pounds, or a red cross parcel (as someone offered to send us when they heard what we were up to this week) I might have eaten a little more this week, or been able to afford some luxury items such as a bag of apples, some peppers or a courgette, but next week I'd be back on £1 a day.

But if I was provided with quality seeds; composting skills or a worm composting kit - improving the quality of poor soil; training to grow crops vertically making use of every spare inch of space; education on which vegetables are able to provide the right vitamins and minerals. Or if I was provided with a chicken, a goat, fish or even (in, say, Peru) a guinea pig, this would make a real difference as eggs and milk would make valuable additions to my diet, animals could breed to be sold, and the meat would be a valuable source of protein.

Sending a fish or a goat to a remote village in Africa might not seem all that easy - especially if you want it to get there alive. It won't easily fit in an envelope and you won't be allowed to take it in your hand luggage - but fortunately there are a number of aid and relief agencies that do the hard work. Many mission organisations, like BMS World Mission support agricultural work in places such as refugee camps on the Thai/Burma border or in flood hit villages in Peru. Organisations like Tearfund and Christian Aid use funds raised to create and support sustainable projects that improve people's diet and therefore their health, and over time allow people to escape hunger and poverty.

Many of those who live off less than $2 a day will not even be able to afford the few vegetables we have eaten this week, and so the ability to grow a few fresh vegetables would make a real difference. I can see how supporting this kind of agricultural work could make a  world of difference.