They are two All American young men that will inspire you. They went beyond the call of duty to not only get to the root of poverty, but to rear it by its ugly head. Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple embarked on a mission to go beyond their academia studies and ascertain an underground level of poverty, with the hopes of ending their sophomore and junior years, with a better understanding. Inspired by the “Invisible Children” Project and documentary, they launched an idea that was unconventional. Their ordeal went viral as they attempted to subject themselves to a reality of living on less than one dollar a day.
According to the "Living on One Dollar "documentary , there are 1.1 billion people in the world attempting to survive off one dollar a day. Zach and Chris wanted to explore this dynamic and hopefully put some pieces together. Accompanied by two other film makers, they set out to reside in a little village in Guatemala. Peña Blanca became their home for 56 days. The income of its villagers are approximately a dollar from day to day. The conditions are often desolate and bleak. There is no clean water, very little food and shelter. The villagers lack good nutrition and their health is mediocre. Far more distressing, the children lack a sufficient amount of energy to play. This is the life that they all know. Hopes and dreams are trapped inside the heads of adolescents. It is very likely that their wishes will never breathe life. A child knows what he will be, and what he will not, when he grows up. It is not unusual for a child to succumb to the fate that he or she will never be rich. Obtaining something better is slim to none. They really have not been able to escape this level of adversity.
In order to truly learn about poverty, Zach and Chris felt that they had to get close to the problem as much as they could. They felt that either they were going to walk away feeling really guilty, or they were going to take advantage of their education and the resources they had, hopefully make an impact, and tell a story.
Sampling poverty for a short period of time may seem trivial, but the four filmmakers encountered some risks. The film revealed their health dwindling in various stages. Their appearance changed significantly as their weight dropped. Their calorie intake was a mere 1000 to 1500 a day, collectively. There was no way to obtain a healthy diet, let alone, any source of good nutrition. They simply survived off small amounts of food from day to day, and drunk the same water as the local villagers. Their residential quarters were not in good standards, and they suffered from multiple flea bites. They even battled E. coli. Their parents insisted that they take an emergency kit, in order to consent to this two month journey. If it wasn't for a pill that was in that kit, things might have gotten worse for this foursome. The cost of a similar pill in Guatemala is $25.00. It's a luxury cost most of the villagers could not afford. These young producers were not equipped for the cost either. They even came to some sort of crossroad, and discussed whether they really needed to subject themselves to the livelihood of Peña Blanca, or should they do their research from a local tourist area. Yet, staying enabled them to learn from their very own ordeal. Plus they reaped lifelong friendships as they eventually came to rely on the support from the locals.
They were invited for dinner by a local family and ate a small bowl of pullick. It's a meal that is prepared simply twice a year because the ingredients are too costly. By some standards, it isn't much. But it is a relief from a typical villagers' diet. It was just the kind of intervention Zach and Chris needed. They were certainly enthused by the hospitality. It was through this family that the filmmakers learned of adding lard to their cooking, just so they could increase their amount of calories. Ultimately, they were able to survive those remaining days in this Guatemalan village.
They were invited for dinner by a local family and ate a small bowl of pullick. It's a meal that is prepared simply twice a year because the ingredients are too costly. By some standards, it isn't much. But it is a relief from a typical villagers' diet. It was just the kind of intervention Zach and Chris needed. They were certainly enthused by the hospitality. It was through this family that the filmmakers learned of adding lard to their cooking, just so they could increase their amount of calories. Ultimately, they were able to survive those remaining days in this Guatemalan village.
No one should feel ashamed of poverty. Nor should they feel guilty about their background and circumstances. This is what Zach and Chris came to grips with. They believe that small things could make a difference. There really isn't a simple solution to poverty, nor is there just one resolution. Micro-financing is an idea that they advocate. They witnessed how a small loan could change the life of a poor person, especially in this particular circumstance. In Peña Blanca, two hundred dollars could literally change the life of an individual. The locals are unable to escape poverty, otherwise. Without an intervention, poverty persists, and is passed on to the next generation.
Throughout their stay in Guatemala, they blogged about their ordeal through a video blog on YouTube, where they received 650,000 views. The two year project, “Living On One” caught the attention from folks from all across the nation. An army of support was enlisted through this initial phase. By the time the film was completed, their message went viral.
The project “Living On One” extended their initial goal. It has become their full-time job. They were able to raise money for education scholarships for some of the people in the film. “Living On One Dollar” the movie, received 180,000 views and also raised $21,000 for poverty alleviation through microfinance, via Hulu release in just one week. The filmmakers have been on tours to promote the movie, talk to college students, and advocate a microfinance curriculum, specifically for students who are looking for additional career options. They are perpetually enlisting more support and working towards eradicating poverty.
On the downside, Chris is still recouping from E. coli. It took approximately 9 months before the illness went way. But both he and Zach are grateful to wake up to this job everyday.
Last summer, they returned to Peña Blanca and visited the villagers, prior to release of the film. They wanted the locals to preview the film and respected the way they were being portrayed. The villagers were ecstatic by their return, especially Rosa, a leading figure throughout the project. Rosa is a young woman who aspires to attend school for nursing. In the film, she started a weaving business to pay for school, after receiving a small loan from a local bank.
Rosa had started a second business selling schoolbooks to the people in the village, while the filmmakers were away. Her weaving business is thriving. The "Living On One" Project buys fabric from Rosa in support of her business. They used the fabric for the pocket of their t-shirts. These shirts eventually sold out. Rosa has had to recruit local women to assist her with the demand. Rosa's dream of attending school appears to be moments away.
It's women like Rosa that inspire them. Women are at the core of community and family. Chris and Zach feels that women often invest more in these areas, and strengthen the community around them. They wish they had collaborated with a woman for this particular project. A different gender perspective on some of the issues in Peña Blanca would have served as beneficial. Nevertheless, they welcome future collaborations. They are always willing to lend advice to aspiring documentary-makers through their Facebook presence. They hope more viewers tune in, and get inspired to either join forces or embark on attempting to snuff out poverty themselves, in their own unique way.
Visit http://www.livingonone.org/film
This Interview is sponsored by IndieFlix. You can watch movies like "Living on One Dollar" at Indieflix.com.
This Interview is sponsored by IndieFlix. You can watch movies like "Living on One Dollar" at Indieflix.com.
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@womenforaction Completely in love with the initiative behind this!The world needs people willing to go out of their way to foster change!
— Sally Sampson (@salsampson) May 21, 2013
