Time of Excesses

Planning a page on how to live on practically nothing. This picture sums up the world today.

These maps shows us were the poor people live. The first is the % of people living on $1.25 a day or less. The second map is % of population malnourished.

To help focus on what it really means to be poor here is a suggested list of what you must do.

The Great Ascent by Robert L. Heilbroner

First, take out the furniture: leave a few old blankets, a kitchen table, maybe a wooden chair. You've never had a bed, remember?

Second, throw out your clothes. Each person in the family may keep the oldest suit or dress, a shirt or blouse. The head of the family has the only pair of shoes.

Third, all kitchen appliances have vanished. Keep a box of matches, a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a handful of onions, a dish of dried beans. Rescue those moldy potatoes from the garbage can: those are tonight's meal.

Fourth, dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, take out the wiring and the lights and everything that runs by electricity.

Fifth, take away the house and move the family into the shed.

Sixth, by now all the other houses in the neighborhood have disappeared; instead there are shanties - for the fortunate ones.

Seventh, cancel all the newspapers and magazines. Throw out the books. You won't miss them - you are now illiterate. One radio is now left for the whole shantytown.

Eighth, no more postman, fireman, government services. The two- classroom school is 3 miles away, but only 2 of your 7 children attend anyway, and they walk.

Ninth, no hospital, no doctor. The nearest clinic is now 10 miles away with a midwife in charge. You get there by bus or bicycle, if you're lucky enough to have one.

Tenth, throw out your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, insurance policies. You now have a cash hoard of $25.

Eleventh, get out and start cultivating your three acres. Try hard to raise $300 in cash crops because your landlord wants one-third and your moneylender 10 percent.

Twelfth, find some way for your children to bring in a little extra money so you have something to eat most days. But it won't be enough to keep bodies healthy - so lop off 25 to 30 years of life.

Free Drink

Expensive teas and coffee are not an option, for many the garden can supply good tasty drinks especially in hot counties. Lemon grass is an excellent example.

I remember visiting a the poor southern mountain region of Poland one Christmas and they had a big pot brewing away, wish I knew exactly what they were drinking.

The British would have drank nettle drew in poorer times.

Hibiscus flowers make a drink that many counties traditionally use, i was pleased to hear a drink company is now using African hibiscus as a high end drink product that sells well in the US. This is a case of win win, the rich purchasers feel good about supporting the poor hibiscus farmers and revitalizing a dying tradition industry.

An Answer

Kiva is a big success story that helps people get out of poverty in a simple way. You invest £25 into a chosen person and receive it back in full after a agreed length of time.

www.kiva.org