Former Blue Mountains councillor Alison McLaren is one of 15 people in the Mountains, and one of 30,000 people in Australia, taking part in an extreme challenge this week.
On Monday she started living on just $2 a day - the equivalent of the extreme poverty line. She hasn't gone hungry before, but she's prepared to for five days [until May 8] to raise awareness of the 1.3 billion people living below the poverty line in the world.
The Live Below the Line campaign is run by the Oaktree Foundation, Australia's largest aid and development organisation run by volunteers under the age of 26.
Some of Ms McLaren's menu choices will include oats in water for breakfast, 99 cents cans of home brand baked beans and plain rice.
The 34-year-old manager with UrbanGrowth NSW, the government's property developer arm, said it will mean "giving up bought lunches and hardest of all coffee. I will also have to cook which is something I usually avoid."
She said being a "big meat eater" added to the challenge.
"Going without meat for five days is going to be one of the hardest parts."
Oaktree has raised more than $7.5 million since the campaign's inception in 2010 and are on track to raise $2 million this year.
Oaktree CEO Chris Wallace said it was "built on the belief that everybody should have access to an education, regardless of where they're born".
"Live Below the Line doesn't just raise awareness of the issue of extreme poverty, but provides participants and their friends and family with a small way of taking action on it," he said.
So far Ms McLaren of Winmalee had raised just under $100 of her $400 target which will go towards education projects in south east Asia. See https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/alison_mclaren.
"It is unacceptable that so many people live on less than $2 a day. A small donation can make a huge difference to communities living in poverty."
Ms McLaren said she had witnessed heartbreaking extreme poverty in Asia and the Middle East and it was a "chance to give something back... by giving something up that we take for granted".
"I think this is a great program but changing the world requires a much bigger commitment from those in positions of power.
"We need to support developing nations to grow sustainable economies and work to end the conflict that is the source of so much human misery. Investment in the education of girls is critical and that needs to come with some serious dollars and an ongoing commitment from western governments," she added.
