Live Below the Line is an incredible new campaign that’s changing the way hundreds of thousands of Australians understand global poverty, and raising huge amounts of money to fight it. Live Below the Line challenges Australians to live on $2 a day for 5 days – the Australian equivalent of the International Extreme Poverty Line.

Live Below the Line is run in collaboration by the Oaktree Foundation, Australia’s largest entirely youth run aid and development agency, and the Global Poverty Project, an organisation fighting the root causes of poverty through systemic change.

From May 16th – 20th, thousands are expected to take the challenge as an incredible way to gain some insight into the realities of extreme poverty, whilst using it as a platform to raise money to create change. 2011 is only the second year that Live Below the Line has been run and already, more people have signed up through the website- http://www.livebelowtheline.com.au- than participated in 2010. So far, over $150 000 has already been raised nationally- with still two and a half weeks to go before the Live Below the Line week begins. In early April, Live Below the Line launched globally, having spread from Australia to the United Kingdom and the USA.

This year, money raised for the Oaktree Foundation will fund much needed educational programs
in rural Papua New Guinea, and money raised for the Global Poverty Project go toward eradicating
Polio, ensuring a fair price for workers everywhere and exposing and tackling corruption in
developing countries.
Australian of the Year Simon McKeon completed 5 days Living Below the Line in earlier in April and Hugh Jackman has also pledged his support for this campaign.

On Monday 2nd of May, the Tasmanian Live Below the Line team will be holding a promotional event in the Elizabeth Street Mall, Hobart from 12pm-2pm. This event will consist of a dining room scene and will highlight the lack of choice those living in extreme face everyday. This will be done using food, as Live Below the Line challenges people to spend just $2AUS on their food, but having no choice concerning education, shelter, and medical access, for starters, is also faced by the 1.4 billion people which live in extreme poverty around the world. This promotional event will be replicated across Australia between 30th April and 7th of May. An invitation to attend has been sent to various MP’s and the Hon. Elise Archer MP and Hobart City Council Alderman Helen Burnet have confirmed they will attend the event. A group of Live Below the Line participants will also be available for interviews throughout the event.

More information about this campaign can be found at http://www.livebelowtheline.com.au
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For more information about the campaign, and this promotional event, contact:

Lizzie Park
Tasmanian Live Below the Line Promotions Coordinator 2011