Before doing these challenges, sure, I knew we had abundance. But when you're hungry for 30 days, you seriously notice the abundance. It's everywhere. I could do another challenge called "30 days on the fat of the land" and just get by on grocery store samples and panhandling, and probably eat a lot more than I do on this challenge.
This is a stark contrast to the crowded slums in the cities of the developing world. There's no way to find such abundance. Beggars on the streets are considered the most desperate of society, because rarely does anyone have change to spare, and forget about finding free samples of food, anywhere.
So I'm dedicating day 23 to the very humble and grateful people of the Kampala, Uganda slums, where the organization I lead (Peace Gospel) is in the process of starting up a new "Children's Hope Center." Although extremely basic, the facility is in place, volunteers are enlisted from a local church, and the basic infrastructure of the program is up and running. However, we need more sponsors to cover scholarships for kids to enter the program. You can follow this link to learn more and donate toward this fund.
Some of the children I met near our new outreach:
A look at how food is prepared. The makeshift homes of course do not have kitchens. Just a few feet from this scene was an open ditch of raw sewage. Again, the things I take for granted! And how it makes my $30 worth of food and my modern kitchen seem like opulence!
Great news! Today we received $50 which raises our total to $7,770, leaving us just $230 short of our 16th scholarship! These scholarships mean hope for more kids, enabling them to enter our education programs like these below! This is a picture of what it looks like when we come together, overcome our indifference and help to make a difference! Happy kids, once before hopeless, now empowered by education and nutrition!
Here's what I was able to come up with for today's three meals, using just $1 worth of ingredients, total. It makes me realize that if I can do this with just $1, what I could do with $2 or $3! It makes me realize that simplification does not mean dull, on the contrary, it means I grow in my resourcefulness and creativity, while saving money, eating lighter and feeling better...
Breakfast. Potato/egg/raisin Pancake bliss! After a lot of oatmeal and breakfast taco burnout, this was just downright awesome. Mashed 1/3 of a boiled potato, mixed with one beaten egg, a few raisins and put on the skillet with a tiny amount of oil, voila! Beautiful! The potato and egg gave this real substance and I was surprised it held me over pretty well until lunch. ▼
Lunch. I'm calling this one "Moroccan Salad." Ingredients: 1/3 carrot stick boiled, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 corn tortilla boiled/disintegrated, 1/3 boiled potato (cubed), 1/3 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup pinto beans, 1/4 cup cooked pasta noodles, 1 leaf raw cabbage, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vinegar, dash of seasoned salt and pepper. Chilled in freezer for 10 minutes. Refreshing and filling! Cost: about 30-35 cents.▼
Dinner. Was tired and didn't want to do anything elaborate, so just went with some vegetarian soft tacos. Back to my standard re-fried pinto bean & brown rice mix, with roasted potato wedges, topped with a couple teaspoons of pasta sauce. Nothing spectacular, but good enough for what I estimate cost about 25 cents to make. ▼
Take Action!
1) Please consider giving toward scholarships for children of the slums. Our goal is to cover a scholarship for 20 kids to get an education this next year. Every little bit helps!
2) Please visit my unofficial sponsor, Amazon.com through this link. 7% of your purchases made through the link are given to Peace Gospel. If you're in the UK, use this link.
3) If you're compelled by my effort here, please share it with friends. One of the main goals is awareness. So if you can help with that, huge.
4) Leave me feedback. Please comment on this post, especially if you have any ideas about what I should try to cook with these ingredients I have available. I love hearing from you! It really helps!
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