We all know that hunger and poverty is an issue in developing parts of the world, but how many of us understand the severity of the issue in this country?

One of the Pound a day participants has kindly offered to share their story, from a time when they were fighting to find the money to eat.

"There was a period of my life about 5 years ago when I had no money. I found myself out of work and struggling to find a job. When I got my last pay cheque it all went to cover my rent and bills. It was one of the lowest points in my life, not knowing how I was going to be able to buy food. Sadly it got worse before it got better.

I almost lost all pride when I had to accept a handout of £40 from my friend. I knew my rent and bills were covered for the month so I just needed to figure out how to make this money cover food etc for as long as possible until I got another job. I did something with that money that I now look on as stupid, however, I was desperate. I spent £1 of the money on a lottery ticket. Luckily I won £200! Although I still had to live on a tight budget, this gave me some relief. It just didn't seem fair for me to be in this situation. I got a 1st in my degree at university and I've always worked hard. People seem to assume that if you're 'poor' then it's your own fault, you must not want to work or waste your money on unnecessary things. I hope that me sharing my story will change people's perceptions about those who need a little help.

Sadly it appears to be happening all too often these days. I'm lucky that I only had to live like this for a short period of time and only had myself to worry about. I can't imagine how it would have been to live like that long term or having to worry about caring for children as well. I'm fortunate to have left that part of my life behind me and I'm proud to be taking part in the Pound a day event. I hope I can help raise awareness and money to support others who were in the same situation as me. I try to take positives from the bad situations and having gone through this has made me really appreciate the value of money and given me an even stronger work ethic."

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You can donate if you are taking part in the challenge, giving up a food item during the week or you just want to support the cause please click on the image to donate via our JustGiving page:

This is a JCI UK first to use Textgiving for a fundraising project!
Support by donating to our Justing Giving Page Donations of can be made by texting JCUK99 and the amount you wish to donate to 70070. Donations can be donated in the following amounts; £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10. So if you wanted to donate £10 you text JCUK99 £10 to 70070. How simple! Text giving is also a great and easy way to generate sponsorship from friends and family supporting you through your challenge.

Katie Ogley
Pound a Day Project Manager
Email:Katie.Ogley@dclt.co.uk