Hundreds of British Muslims will be taking part in the Live Below The Line challenge from 28 April – 2 May 2014, being sponsored to live on £1 a day for food and drink to raise funds for youth-led campaigning charity MADE in Europe.
Live Below The Line is being supported by a number of leading community figures including poet and song-writer Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Qur’an reciter Hassen Rasool, author Shelina Janmohamed, commentator and activist Mo Ansar, Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, and chef and star of the Great British Bake-off Ali Imdad.
Ali Imdad who will be producing a recipe plan for participants said: “We often take for granted the ability to eat nourishing and delicious food. But food is a daily struggle for millions of families around the world, including right here in the UK where the use of food banks has increased by 170% over the last year alone. Participating in Live Below The Line is a small way in which we can become more aware of food-related poverty and raise vital funds to address it at its source.”
By spending no more than £1 a day for food and drink – the extreme poverty threshold beneath which 1.2 billion people have to provide for all their needs – Live Below The Line aims to help participants better understand poverty and hunger and encourages people to make long-term changes to their own lifestyle choices so they eat more responsibly and ethically in the future.
A report issued last year revealed that as much as 50% of the food that the world produces may be wasted, with the UK along throwing away more than 10 billion tonnes of food every year. This is even more shocking when every 5 seconds a child dies due to malnutrition.
Sarah Javaid, MADE in Europe’s Executive Director, who will be taking part in the challenge for the second year said: “As a campaigning and education charity, MADE in Europe is committed to changing the way people consume. We are advocating a return to the simple way of life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who taught the value of moderation and respect for our resourceful planet.”
A number of Muslim organisations are also supporting the Live Below The Line challenge including Emerald Network, The Leaf Network, The City Circle, Islamic Society of Britain, ieat foods, Hendrix Media, One Agency, Salaam Communications, British Muslim Heritage Centre and Zaytoun CIC.
Live Below The Line takes place from 28 April – 2 May 2014 with an additional week for Islamic Societies from 17 – 21 March 2014. To sign up for the challenge visit: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-made
A launch video featuring Ali Imdad from the Great British Bake Off is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbMs9s1oJo8&list=UUcKGN9ET_mN9t0mgoNQWbfw&feature=c4-overview
