Since its launch in 2013, the Pound A day Challenge has become a highly anticipated event for chambers across the UK. The project challenged our members to live on one pound a day and ran from January 13th -19^th. The challenge played a significant role, enabling JCI UK members to help tackle the first two of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals.

• Sustainable Development Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Sustainable Development Goal 2: Seeks sustainable solutions to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security.

JCI UK members not only raised funds but also awareness of food poverty within the UK.  Our chosen charity, Save The Children helps to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger around the world. This year via social media we got daily updates from members taking part, it was great to see the highs and lows of their journeys. Members were very honest and open with the struggles associated with hunger and how it affected their day to day lives. This year 12 chambers took part in the challenge with over 20 participants;

1. Southampton
2. Greenwich
3. Cambridge
4. Barnsley
5. Birmingham
6. Nottingham
7. Doncaster
8. Sheffield
9. Manchester
10. Belfast
11. London
12. Derry

We also exceeded our target of £500 and raised a total of £846.25 including gift aid, everyone should be really proud of what we have achieved.

Members Journey

Pieter Bruyninckx – JCI Cambridge “Day 7 - Congratulations to everyone completing the challenge! This challenge has definitely opened my eyes. For me the hardest part was not the repetitiveness of the bland food, but the social aspect; sitting in a pub or café with nothing but a glass of water in front, while everyone is enjoying a beer, which would have been half of the week budget, is rather challenging. At work I had to pass for the weekly cakes today, although I still joined for the social aspect. I'm happy that allowed me to talk about the pound a day challenge. I'm really grateful that I can return to my usual eating habits tomorrow,” Tariro Masocha  - JCI Birmingham Day 4 I am running out of juice, I have to keep well hydrated .How I made it to work and survived today was by grace. I miss having meat, supper was prepared and I could not eat what the others were having It's all for a good cause. Sophie Delaporte – JCI Southampton (Day #6) was an interesting one! Got an almost proper breakfast, which helped me get a better morning! Absolutely starving most of the evening as I had dinner at 22:00: we had our JCI Southampton launch event tonight which finished quite late (So I stopped by Asda on my way home and found a 20p sandwich pack (reduced from £2.90!!) - bread again but the cheese convinced me . Overall I am getting more and more tired but the impact we are making is tremendous so let's keep it up. Ben Hawley – JCI UK National President Well, dinner tonight was a struggle. It's been a tough day at work and normally I'd unwind with a good meal. But today, it was rice, cheap Sweet and sour sauce, a few steamed frozen veg and bad frozen sausages. Doing this makes me great full that I'm fortunate enough to be able to have a variety of flavours in my diet. It really does amazing me, not in a good way, that it's 2018 and we still have over 8 million (8,000,000!) people in this country that have to live on a pound a day out of necessety. That can't be right. Katie Rose – JCI I'm pleased to report that day 1 has gone well, although I was really hungry in the afternoon. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal, lunch was a flask of soup with a kiwi and dinner just now was rice with steamed vegetables and two fish fingers. No tea or coffee, just water today. Beverley Mackfall  - JCI Barnsley This year I have to admit I ate very well due to the whoopsie haul!, but some years I have eaten like a pauper - in fact last year I went to a friend’s party and had pre-made pasta, 29p bag of crisps and 50p pop (I saved previous pennies...)! I was fully committed. Good luck to everyone on their last day or few (if you started late), troopers! It’s a great project to have been a participant in!! I hope from these experiences  you will get inspired to challenge yourself next year, food poverty and hunger is a serious issue and we are all playing our part in raising awareness for this. I am positive that next year’s challenge will be even bigger and better, well done to everyone who took part!