By Tarun Stevenson

As I commenced my first day of living on $2 worth of food each day for the Live Below the Line challenge this week, I found myself pondering some of the added bonuses of taking on a challenge like this. Hey I might loses bit of weight (Lord knows I need to). It?s a great exercise in self-control and discipline. It?s a great way to teach my children about being grateful for what they have and I get to feel good about myself, doing something for those who are less fortunate than me.

But as I pondered these things, my mind wandered back to when I, as a child lived in India, to an example of what would have to be the greatest reason for doing a challenge like this.

My parents were missionaries and I was fortunate to have been raised with an acute awareness of the intense struggle that billions of people face every day, just to survive. Despite my upbringing it is amazing how easy it is to forget or even be oblivious to this struggle, as I live in the comfort of a developed country such as Australia. Taking for granted even the simple comforts of shopping around for the best priced food and having a place to cook my tasty $2/day meals.

My mind meandered into my past, and I remember an old lady who lived near our house in India. She was a beggar, living on the street. She was frail and her days consisted of begging passes by for small change so that she could scrape together enough to have at least one meal a day.

One day this poor wretch came to our door with a bag of potatoes and offered them to my mother for our family. Some well-meaning passer-by had given them to her, in an attempt to alleviate her need. My mother refused and insisted that she keep them for herself, but the old woman replied, ?I have nowhere to cook them, they are useless to me?. The cruel irony of that bag of potatoes, offered the gift of food she desperately needed yet, would never enjoy for want of a simple stove to cook them on.

As I reflect on all the ?good reasons? for taking on this challenges, 1.4 billion stories just like this one, remind me that even though this week is for me, a small inconvenience - at worst- and a feel good experience - at best -, for those living in poverty, it is life changing.

The money raised by participants will transform the lives of individuals and communities who fight for survival every day. Giving the choice and option to improve their lives through education and community rejuvenation. Afford them the basics that we so often take for granted without so much as a thought.

YOU CAN MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE!

Even if you can?t do the challenge you can still donate and make a difference in the lives of some of the 1.4 billion people who live below the poverty line. Will you join me?

To donate and make a difference, goto: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/taruns

Epilogue: My mother ended up cooking meals for the old lady each day and helping her in what ever way she could. From this chance meeting a beautiful relationship was born, and from this and many other examples , I am thankful to say that I have developed a passion to do what I can to change the lives of those less fortunate than myself. The Live Below the Line challenge is just one way that I remind myself how blessed and privileged we really are in Australia.

I will continue to post my reflections and other stories of my child hood as this week progresses. Please feel free to share my blogs with others just include my details on the page. Thanks to all who have already supported me in this challenge, your generosity is changing lives!

Among other things I am a: Husband, Father, Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Poet, Theology Nerd, Activist, Passionate Christ Follower, Blogger and School Teacher

Please check out my blog: www.tarunstevenson.com/activist or follow my progress on twitter @tarunstevenson

Photograph from: http://www.drradhakrishna.com/2011/10/pardon-me-dear-lady/

Operation Sister Act - Sanitary Pads that Educate and Save Lives

Finding ethically produced ground coffee often presents one of 3 problems. 1. Hard to find in supermarkets. 2. If you can find it, its often a boutique brand that costs significantly more than regular mainstream products, or 3. If it’s affordable, it doesn’t taste that great… Enter IKEA. Yes that Swedish furniture manufacture that everybody loves may have bridged the divide for me. IKEA sells beans, filter and espresso coffee that is UTZ certified ( see http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/IKEA_Food/coffee.html for details ) ensuring the coffee supply chain is ethically produced and each point. From a taste perspective, it is no boutique blend, but certainly better than a certain hamburger chain’s coffee (which claims to be award winning. ) So for all you penny pinching coffee drinkers who still want to do their bit to save the world, may I suggest IKEA UTZ coffee? Please drink responsibly and make some noize!

I was watching on last night?s news the devastating humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in Somalia currently. A crisis in which almost 1000 families a day are arriving at refugee camps due to famine and drought in the region.

As I sat in my comfortable suburban home watching dying children on my shiny new TV with my empty cup of tea and full belly of food reminding me how excessively blessed I am, I was moved to tears, wondering what I can do.

My menial efforts of blogging, making videos and giving to various causes seemed to cry, there must be something more I, we can do.

As Living Color once said in a song,

??I see the starving africans on tv

I feel it has nothing to do with me

I sent my twenty dollars to live-aid

I?ve aided my guilty conscience to go away?

Is that the best we can offer? Is that the most we can do?

When I spoke with my wife this morning, the all to familiar despair entered our conversation, ?what else can we do?? The enormity of the situation can become like a paralysis which can often result in those of us who are blessed, throwing our hands up and doing nothing more than what we are already doing.

However I believe that individuals can make a difference, if we will just push ourselves beyond what we are comfortable with and challenge ourselves to do just a little bit more than we did the day before. And together we can change the way things are for the better. It just requires us to do something, not everything, just one thing?

In my search for something more that I can do, I went to OneDayswages.org and thought I would share it with you. OneDaysWages.org, puts you in the drivers seat. It lets you choose what cause you would like to be involved in and gives you the opportunity to take the initiative and make a difference. All by donating 1 days wages to a cause that you believe in. 100% of your donation goes to the cause you choose in fighting extreme poverty.

Check out this video as another suggestion you can consider the next time you ask your self ?What can I do????

Go on, be inspired, make some noise and change your world?.

Shop Ethical! Check out the new Shop Ethical! iPhone app. It gives you the low-down on the environmental and social record of companies behind common brands you buy in the supermarket.

Shop Ethical! is a tool that allows you to TAKE ACTION by avoiding companies with a negative track record and supporting companies who make a positive impact.

Your dollar is your vote - make it count.

By Shopping Ethically! you can send a strong message for change and support the practices that make our world a better place to live in. Companies need our money to stay in business - money talks, and your dollar literally is your vote.

http://www.ethical.org.au/shopethical/ is also a great web site for learning how to adjust your shopping practices. So go on, Make Some Noize! and Shop Ethical!

So you like your hens eggs cage free,
but are your easter eggs slave free?

www.twitter.com/makesomenoize2

www.facebook.com/makesomenoize2

Here it is, the full story about Paris? efforts to introduce Fairtrade soccer balls to her club? Please share it and RT

MakeSomeNoize TV is now live! Check it out?

Local Soccer Club gets Fair Trade Balls to help fight child labour and slavery: With the encouragement of one of it?s Coaches; Paris Shuttlewood, local soccer club Westminster Warriors in Brisbane, QLD has decided to purchase Fair Trade certified Jinta soccer balls in 2011 to help prevent the use of child slavery in the manufacture of soccer balls.

Child slavery is prevalent right throughout the soccer ball manufacturing industry and every choice like Westminster?s, makes a difference to seeing these conditions change.

We will be doing a full story and interview with Paris in a few weeks when we launch MakeSomeNoize TV.

MakeSomeNoize TV will be bringing you stories about everyday people like you and I who are out making a difference in their world to fight extreme poverty and slavery.

To get all the details about the launch and upcoming stories you can follow us on twitter @makesomenoize2 and YouTube.com/makesomenoize2

Looking forward to hearing your stories about making a difference! -Tarun

The Meaning of Life?

If you?ve ever asked the question ?what can I do?? take a leaf out of Narayanan Krishnan?s book. Just do something?

An interesting social network - connecting individuals who want to change their world. Social networking that actually makes a difference?great concept, I wonder if it will catch on. Check it out : http://www.jumo.com/about

A fantastic example of using modern technology to empower the worlds most poor? Get innovative people, we can use our good ideas for more than just our own comfort!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/opinion/05kristof.html?_r=1

Josue Hurtado Writes: So after that lecture when we discussed the idea of starting a petition for Max Brenner to go fair trade, i found it in myself that this was actually something that was in my heart to do. To be apart of the liberation and freedom of others instead of taking part in their oppression. So i went home that day and searched the web for the best website i could use to start and manage my petition, and so it began on a Wednesday Morning around 1am. I began just sharing the link of twitter and FB and signatures starting rolling in. After reaching around 400 signatures, I began emailing organization dealing with social justice and the Fair Trade organizations themselves telling them what i was doing. I have had really good response from most companies offering their services of spreading the word and letting people know. Greatest achievement yet is having the WFTO come on board and have their communications person personally contact me. It’s such an encouragement having all my friends and family involved along with fellow believers and organizations which also believe in this cause.

Josue is still working to get 2000 names for this cause. If you haven’t done so already go to: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/mb2ft it takes 30sec all they ask for is name and email address (no you won’t be spammed…) You can make a difference… go and Make Some Noize!

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The Church as the people of God can truly embody the living Christ among us only when the poor remain its most treasured part. Care for the poor, therefore, is much more than Christian charity. It is the essence of being the body of Christ.

• Henri Nouwen

The makers of Call and Response have released an iPhone app to help individuals participate in the fight to stop sex trafficking and modern slavery. Great news is it?s FREE! Check it out: http://cot.ag/9UM8FK

There is something not quite right when babies are dying of malaria due to lack of pesticide spaying programs, so that Nike and Wal Mart can source organic cotton? click the link above to read this very confronting and eye opening story.