We are proud to be one of 10 nonprofit partners joining the 2013 Live Below the Line campaign, challenging participants to live on only $1.50 a day for food and drink for five days (April 29th to May 3nd) to raise awareness of the 1.4 billion people who live below the extreme poverty line. Join thousands of others across America and worldwide to better understand the daily challenges faced by those trapped in the cycle of extreme poverty. In 2012, over 14,000 people took the challenge around the world, raising over $3,000,000 and reaching friends, family, and communities!
Funds raised for the Live Below the Line campaign can help ensure that Somaly’s centers for recovery and skills training in Cambodia will have enough food, all year round.
Somaly always says, “It can take five minutes to rescue the girl, but when you do, what are you going to do with her?” Women and girls helped by Somaly and her team have often undergone unspeakable horrors, torture and starvation, coercion and abuse. Sometimes, food is withheld as punishment for refusal to take yet another client after dozens have come and gone.
After a girl escapes a situation of exploitation, she needs a place to heal, to learn, and to prepare for a new life. Our partner AFESIP’s three centers in Cambodia are just that: safe havens of holistic care, specialized skills training, and a community of love and support. When ready, the young women can re-enter the world with new job skills that allow them to earn a living and gain independence.
But none of this can happen without covering the basic needs: food on the table. Food at the center costs about $1.70 per woman, per day. This totals about $51 a month, $612 a year, and for sixty residents, about $37,000 per year. With just $612 raised, you could cover the cost of food for one girl at the center for one year. With her basic needs covered, she can focus on recovery, begin to learn to read and write. She will have a voice and choices in her life—sometimes for the first time. Help a woman to escape, to recover, and to build a new life of empowerment, strength, and love.
Step 1: Accept the Challenge
The first step is to sign up to take the challenge at livebelowtheline.com/us, and create your own fundraising page. Make sure to select SMF as your charity of choice and let us know why you
are taking the challenge.
Step 2: Spread the Word
Throughout the campaign, we will send you tips and tools to ensure you have the information and encouragement you will need to complete the challenge. Start early, spread the word, and use social media to engage your community and online network.
Step 3: Live Below the Line
From April 29 to May 2nd, live on $1.50 a day for food and drink. (Don't worry, the online resources help you figure out how!)
More questions?
Visit the website, or click here for a Participant Resource Packet (PDF).
Why take the challenge?
There's 1.4 Billion reasons why. Here's just one.