Steve Hili, a radio presenter and stand-up comedian and his wife Kathryn, who started NGO Amplify, will get a taste of what it really means to live on €1.21 per day… but for five days only.

A number of families will join the two in their 121 Challenge that starts tomorrow and ends on Friday. Participants include Steve’s sister Alexandra, and a child as young as five and another participant who is 73.

Can you imagine living on €1.21 a day for most of your life? We miss a good meal and feel frustrated. Some people do not have the luxury of living on this meagre rate for five days only but for most of their lives or their entire life for that matter.

In 2005, The World Bank defined The International Extreme Poverty Line at US$1.25. In 2012, poor nutrition claimed the lives of more than 2.9 million children. That’s 45% of all child deaths in the developing world’

To highlight the plight of around 1.2 billion people around the world who live in extreme poverty, NGO Amplify has put up this challenge, a challenge that will definitely force participants out of their comfort zone, triggering a greater understanding of other people’s experiences.

“Pinning ourselves to the UK as the closest country where ‘Live Below the Line’ is taking place, exchange rates dictated that the participants have to live on €1.21 a day. So that is what we’re doing.”

Interviewed by this newspaper, Mr Hili said that the idea of the challenge is to raise awareness of people who live below the poverty line and at the same time raise funds for a medical centre the team supports in Cambodia (Mr Hili and his wife lived there for six months, working voluntarily with children and young people with a disability).

“The south of the country was in dire need of a medical centre (the remote village of Kampot); we collected funds for this centre, which is up and running, and which has changed many people’s lives. But funds run out and the centre needs additional support in order to become more sustainable, which is why Amplify has put up this challenge,” he said.

Asked if he will survive the challenge, he said that it will be a “tough” one, but emphasised that those interested in taking up the challenge should call it a day and pull out of the challenge or seek advice from a doctor if they do not feel well.

“We are lucky that we can seek medical advice; many people around the world cannot, an estimated 1.2 billion,” Mr Hili stressed, adding that those living below the poverty line accounts for 2,000 times or more the population of Malta.

“These people have no choice but to live on what we are about to live on for the next five days,” Mr Hili said, “but for them it’s on a daily basis.”

He pointed out that the €1.21 will be spent on food but the 1.2 billion people have other costs including energy, medicine and transport “so we are highly privileged to live the life we do”.

“It is vital we understand a little bit of what these people have to live with every single day.”

Asked if those participating in the challenge can at least drink mineral water, he replied in the negative.

“We will be drinking tap water, but it is pertinent to note that in other countries water has to be factored in the daily costs of poor people as well.

“In our case the €1.21 will be spent on food only,” he reiterated.

When asked if he can get much for €1.21, he said that he would know the minute he hopped into a convenience store.

The fact that Mr Hili “is not too good at budgeting” will make the challenge even harder for him.

“If it was just up to me to look after the budget, I would be broke after two days,” he joked, adding thankfully that his wife and sister “are much better at budgeting so they may literally save the day”.

The participating families plan to pool all their money together, that of €1.21 each. The 121 Challenge diet primarily consists of pasta and bread. One of the menus includes lentils with garlic and Maltese bread.

Anyone interested in participating in this week’s challenge can send an email to [email protected]

Donations can be made on www.betternow.org/mt/amplify

You can also follow the event at www.the121challenge.blogspot.com and on Facebook (The 121 Challenge).