What does $1.25 a day mean to you?

Living under $1.25, isn’t that the definition of poverty? Yes, according to the World Bank this is the definition of ‘extreme poverty’ with under $2 a day being defined as ‘moderate poverty’. This is a definition that is held by the majority of states, private, educational and civil institutions around the world. This statistic informs global policies (such as the Millennium Development Goals), national priorities all the way down to civil society interventions. But what does this statistic actually mean?

Percentage of population living on less than $1.25 per day, 2009

Using the purchasing power parity can only take us so far. The poverty line of an individual shifts depending on the country, area, cost of living, their family circumstance, cultural practices and access to social capital. For example survival in rural South Africa cannot be equated to survival in urban South Africa. Also, this statistic hinges on the idea of monetary income as the universal indicator of wealth and subsequent well being, this is not always the case.
I spent a year living in India, surviving on what would be defined as ‘moderate poverty’. This was extremely challenging in the city, having to negotiate transport, ration water, hustle the cheapest food (note the cheapest, not necessarily the most nutritious or balanced) and overhauling completely what I thought to be my priorities (little did I know that I could in fact survive without cheese). However, I also spent time in a rural village where I did not spend a cent in a week. I lived in a communal family dwelling, spent the day working in the rice paddies which earned me a meal from greens harvested in the community garden. The river was used for water, washing and ablutions (I recommend you research the uses of neem, it will change your life), dried cow dung for fire and the local drunk uncle was the entertainment. Needless to say if I had $1.25, I wouldn’t have known what to spend it on. 
Choosing a definition for poverty is tricky. Is poverty an absolute or relative condition? What is a decent standard of living? Is income the most important factor to take into account? How is it that individuals, families and communities ‘make a plan’? These are some of the questions we are hoping to explore and make real for ourselves by living on $1.25 a day in various major cities in Africa. How do we construct a definition that can speak to the reality experienced by millions?  

                                                                  Urban Ahmedabad

Rural Panchgani

By Ishtar Lakhani (@T2T_Ishtar)