There are moments where you really have to appreciate the things you have. Something as simple as the place you have been born can determine the rest of your life. As this documentary shows a huge part of the world’s population is living in poverty and have to survive on a dollar a day. It Is such a small amount of money and almost impossible to imagine. I know I’ll spend that easily on a candy bar or other snack while there are families that will have to feed themselves for a whole day with that money. It won’t be hard to realize that this means other things like paying for education or medicine can’t be done. Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple (together with two friends) decided to try to live on 1 dollar a day for two months in Guatemala and document their experience.
The way they decide to simulate the unsure life of someone living in a situation where income depends on availability of day work, which is not guaranteed, is to draw numbers out of a hat. That number decides the amount of dollars they will have ‘earned’ that day. It means they sometimes might have days where they will make very little and other times more. It might not be the most realistic depiction but it Is not important here because they get their message across. Partly because they struggle on getting enough energy out of the little food they eat, but more because their interaction with the people living there.
The documentary shows how they survive in the situation they are in, having to support their families. People actually seem to be closer to each other and even help other families. Either by lending out the little money they have or putting money together with several families and giving that money to one of the families so they are able to make a bigger purchase. This can be a simple stove or just fixing a leaking roof.
Of course there are ways that we can help and this is where micro credits come in. I had heard about these before but never realised their importance. This movie shows the effects it can have on people’s lives and the way it offers then a chance to change their life by starting a small business and chase their dreams. The project these young men have documented shows that helping micro credit organisations also helps others, which you can easily realize with just a small donation.
