Mukarram Jameel

Why am I Living Below the Line in 2023?

This year, my first new year in Australia, I have decided to voluntarily live below the line. Now, after reading this, you might be asking yourself: "Why would someone voluntarily choose to eat a maximum of two dollars of food a day?"

To answer this question, I chose to do so because of my experience living through a political and economic crisis - forcing me and millions of others to live through a difficult period in our lives. I am acting for people and the planet to make the world a better place.

My story: I was born in Sri Lanka and lived in Brunei as a young child, one of Southeast Asia's richest nations. Despite the ease and comfort of life there, my parents decided to return to my country of birth when I was seven years old. I was surprised by the contrasts in daily life when I returned to Sri Lanka. Too frequently, there were crowded structures, deteriorating infrastructure, and a healthcare system that struggled to provide for high requirements. Despite these difficulties, I managed to quickly adapt and thrive. However, a string of unfortunate incidents in 2019 set off a political and economic crisis that sent the nation into a tailspin of chaos. The collapse of the economy led to fuel and gas shortages, power outages, inflated prices, long queues that stretched for kilometres, and many other issues that would take many pages to list out. Living through these hardships made me appreciate the importance of not taking things for granted and I was reminded that many people experience unfathomable hardships every day and that we should try to be of assistance. My experience living through a country in crisis is why I made the decision to live below the poverty line this year in order to better understand the struggles that millions of people deal with on a daily basis. My experiences have taught me that empathy and understanding are fundamental traits that we should all work to develop. We must understand that the privileges we take for granted could be taken away in an instant and that we owe it to those who are less fortunate to help them. We can all have a better future if we work together to solve the problems we face, which is why I believe in empowering young people in leading, demanding and creating positive social change. By donating to my page, you will help support Oaktree’s partners and programs to empower young people in the fight against poverty and injustices, close to home and in the Asia-Pacific regions.

Thanks in advance!