***apologies for cross-postings***please circulate widely***
Dear friends,
As most of you know, I am currently living in Maimana, Faryab province in north Afghanistan while conducting PhD research.
Many of you also know about the crippling poverty facing many Afghans. Indeed, some of you have lived (or presently live) among Afghans trying to cope with the challenges of poverty.
But you may not know to what extent poverty here in Faryab province is being exacerbated by the ongoing drought and rising food prices. So much of the attention paid to Afghanistan focuses on the southern region. I want to raise awareness about the continuing plight of Afghans in the north, where there is relatively little conflict but livelihood struggles abound.
And so, I have decided to give my time here as an academic researcher a bit of immediate relevance. I want to experience and share with you the challenges of having no more than USD $1 per day to spend on food and water.
According to UN OCHA, over half of the Afghan population lives on less than USD $1 per day. I work in rural villages in Faryab and see that most families struggle for access to adequate food and water. I want to begin to understand what it is like to live just below the international poverty line, so I will do so for 30 days beginning tomorrow, February 19th. USD $1 is the equivalent of 52Afs in the local currency. I will provide myself with daily food and water with these 52Afs and will share with you the experience and reflections through my blog:
Please visit the blog for more of an explanation of what I want out of this experience. I am raising awareness, first and foremost, but also funds. You can donate through the secure 'Chip in' link on my blog.
So, my friends, please carry this message far and wide. We are a powerful group of people with valuable social capital--the more we speak and demand action, the more results will be felt by those who matter most in the fight against poverty.
Your thoughts and comments are most welcome--please be in touch anytime via email or via my blog.
With warm regards,
Jennifer
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Jennifer McCarthy
PhD Researcher
Department of Geography
Environment, Politics and Development Research Group
King's College London
Strand Campus
London WC2R 2LS
UK Mobile: +44(0)7515030118
Afgh Mobile: +93 (0)786 199 878, (0)775 093 721
