Since I first made a commitment to take action to end extreme poverty the end of polio campaign has captured my imagination. The short version of the end of polio story is that what was once a crippling disease all over the world is now only endemic in three countries. Polio has been reduced by 99% and eradicating the disease is possible within my lifetime. The thought that the second disease in all of human history to be eradicated is possible within my lifetime is intriguing, but knowing that I can take part in this story is exhilarating.

The long story of polio begins, as Gates explained, in ancient carvings of people with withered limbs, walking with canes- evidence that the disease has lasted for centuries. An epidemic of polio in America in the 1950s sparked rumours that ice cream was the cause of death of hundreds of children. Images of children in iron lungs give evidence of a disease that has almost erased itself from Western memory.

But the story of polio carries on beyond its eradication in the Western world. Last month India celebrated one year without a case of polio. India was thought to be one of the most difficult countries in which to tackle polio partly because few children were brought for regular check-ups and were therefore unlikely to receive the vaccine. The vaccinations had to go out to the people. This task was carried out by one of the primary heroes in the end of polio story, the Rotarians, who selflessly travelled miles on foot carrying the vaccine and risking their personal health and safety to ensure that children throughout India would receive the vaccine.

Gates spoke about the role that innovation has had in this story. Innovations in vaccines and mapping have been turning points in the effectiveness and efficiency of vaccinating children worldwide.

And now we stand at the climax of the story. The tipping point. Gates explained that it is a myth that we can maintain polio at these low levels. It is too easy to spread. Now is the time for a final push to see the disease completely eradicated and go the way of smallpox.

This is a story that excites me and that I want to be a part of. Will you join me? We can see polio and its devastating effects on the world’s poorest people be completely eradicated within our generation. To see how you can be part of this story visit the end of polio campaign.

We totally splurged today and totalled £0.97 per person. Here’s how:

• Oatmeal breakfast with tea = £0.25
• 5 biscuits = £0.05
• 3 cups of tea throughout the day = £0.01
• Chick peas with a splash of oil and spices = £0.17
• Flour and water pizza dough with ham slices and courgette = £0.23
• Noodles and broth with pork sausages = £0.26

Over the past five days I’ve come to dread the question “why are you doing this?” because I know that behind that question is another question, “how does living on £1 per day for five days do anything to solve extreme poverty?” The simple answer is that it doesn’t. I am under no delusion that the food I’m not eating and the money I’m not spending is somehow making its way to someone who lives in extreme poverty. And, to be honest, I’m glad that’s not the case. I am not campaigning for a temporary solution to extreme poverty. What I desire is lasting change. And I believe that a permanent end to extreme poverty is possible within my lifetime. Live Below the Line is, in part, a symbol of my commitment to do everything I can to see the end of extreme poverty within a generation.

My choice to live on £1 per day for five days has no immediate impact on the lives of those who did not choose to live in extreme poverty. I have had complete control as I took this challenge. I could have stopped at any point. But many do not have that choice. While I can celebrate my accomplishment of successfully completing a challenge and go back to eating whatever I want, whatever it is that I’ve longed for over the last five days, there are 1.4 billion people in the world who endure this longing, hunger, and exhaustion without an end in sight. Ghandi once declared, “poverty is the worst form of violence.” Part of that violence, I think, comes from experiencing longing and desire for extended periods of time without a foreseeable end to the struggle. Whether that struggle is to be able to afford enough food to eat each day, or to provide adequate housing for your family, or to put your children through school, to live without hope for the future because there seems no end to your current circumstance is as detrimental to a person’s health as not being able to afford groceries.

But there is hope. Though many go hungry, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone on the planet one and half times over. And there are many who believe that we are living in a unique time in history when we have the resources and the knowledge to eradicate extreme poverty. Jeffrey Sachs is one of many people who believes change is possible and he explains why below.

To see how we can all play a part to end extreme poverty why not book the 1.4 Billion Reasons presentation? Feel free to contact me for more info.

If you’d like to help me as I work to see the end of extreme poverty, please donate here.

Thank you so much to all of you who have followed along and offered your encouragement and support. Stay tuned tomorrow as I share about our Dine Below the Line breakfast.

I’m also tired of talking about my poverty. The bulk of the conversations I’ve had over the last four days have been about this challenge and what I can and cannot afford to eat. On one hand that means that this challenge is serving its purpose perfectly as it opens doors to talk about what extreme poverty looks and feels like. On the other hand there’s a part of me that would love to be asked about something else going on in my life right now, something other than my own personal ‘poverty’. Which leads me to wonder how often we define ‘the 1.4 Billion people’ by their poverty rather than their humanity. Just like me, those living in extreme poverty likely have other things on their minds apart from the food they do or do not have access to. Some may have concerns about their role as husband or wife, others may be struggling to keep up decent grades (which is made more difficult by insufficient nutrient intake), while others might be moving from one place to another and are struggling with the stress of that move. People should not be defined by their poverty. And when I stop to think about those living in extreme poverty as whole individuals who are made up of so much more than their current circumstance, my passion to see their lives changed and my resolve to have more conversations about extreme poverty and how we can see its end in a generation grows stronger.

As we head into the final day of Live #belowtheline I’d like to thank those of you who have offered your generous support to either my or Jonathan’s campaign! In case you’re curious, today’s budget works out as follows.

• Sugar, cinnamon, milk with oatmeal and tea for breakfast = £0.25
• 5 biscuits = £0.05
• Leftover spaghetti with pork sausage, courgette, tomatoes and spices = £0.20 (the photo is of last night’s portion)
• 3 cups of tea throughout the day = £0.01
• A sneaky chick pea snack before supper = £0.05
• Flour and water pizza dough with ham slices and courgette = £0.23

Our grand total for the day comes to a whopping £0.79.

If you would like to “buy us lunch” and support us as we raise money for the Global Poverty Project, please donate here.

I’ve been absent from this blog over the past month, but what better way to kick off the new year than with the news that I’ve been selected as one of The Global Poverty Project‘s 2012 Global Poverty Ambassadors! This means that I’ll be raising awareness about extreme poverty within my community and will be trained to deliver the 1.4 Billions Reasons presentation, the very thing that got me blogging about extreme poverty.

My selection also meant that I was invited to hear Hans Rosling, a professor of global health from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and co-founder of Gapminder, and Bill Gates speak at the 2012 Global Poverty Ambassadors launch event.

The enthusiasm in the Shaw Library at the London School of Economics was palpable as 70 freshly recruited Global Poverty Ambassadors gathered together for the launch of the 2012 Global Poverty Ambassador programme. Upon walking into the library we received Fairtrade certified cotton t-shirts from Epona Clothing and after a few introductions from The Global Poverty Project team we were huddled together in formation, making small talk with the man who also photographs the Royal family while we waited for Bill Gates to arrive. He was whisked in, gave us a quick “hi,” and after a few quick flashes he was whisked off to squeeze in one more appointment before delivering his annual letter outlining the priorities for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the upcoming year.

The auditorium was abuzz as students, ambassadors, and others community leaders talked and tweeted about extreme poverty, #billsletter, and #gppambassadors. Hans Rosling spoke first and, true to his usual presentation style, used data in interesting and entertaining ways to explain that ending extreme poverty will not cause the world’s population to continue to sky-rocket as it has done over the last fifty years, but will actually cause the world’s population to level off at about 9-10 billion people. He explained that the average number of children per household decreases as a country moves along the spectrum from developing to developed, which is evident in the Western world where the average number of children per household is 2.5. Rosling revealed the importance of using data to disprove the myths we all believe that keep us from achieving major progress and ending extreme poverty. Rosling also highlighted a crucial point: “People say we need to educate the poor. No, it is more important to listen to the poor.”

Bill Gates’ annual letter was hopeful and highlighted the importance of agriculture and vaccinating against disease in the effort to end extreme poverty. “We are making incredible progress,” he said and noted the importance of sharing the positive stories about the progress being made, especially during the present economic downturn. One of the most recent success stories comes from India, which celebrated one full year without a case of polio earlier this month. India was considered one of the most difficult countries in which to tackle and eradicate polio and now it is well on its way to complete eradication. You can read Gates’ annual letter in full here.

The official ambassador training won’t begin until the end of February, but I think that at the heart of the role is sharing these good news stories. As Gates said, “there’s a lot of reasons to be hopeful” and I’m looking forward to sharing that hope in the year ahead.