twinga: Surviving on a low income

In my last post I was writing about the rich of this world, today I want to focus on the poor. Well, these people actually don’t even classify as poor since they live on more than $2 dollars a day. One in five people in the world - more than one billion people - survive on less than one dollar a day, a level of poverty so abject that it threatens survival. Another 1.5 billion people live on $1-$2 a day, so more than 40% of the world's population constitute, in effect, a global underclass (Source: Microcredit Summit Campaign).

I don't want to sound hypocritical, but reading these stories really makes you put your life into perspective. We take it for granted to walk over to the kitchen, open the fridge, take out some sparkling water (ha, here you go, the German girl is writing ;-) ) and some snacks, toss out some old leftovers, walk back into an air-conditioned room and watch a movie. Somewhere else people have to walk more than 6 miles a day to get water, or they have to buy it. Please read the story of Lyli, a 35 year old woman, who unlike her counterparts in the Western world also takes care of her nephews, nieces, and her mother.

Surviving on a low income: Kenya

Kenyan Lily, 35, tells the BBC News Web site how she manages to get by working as a tailor at a clothing factory in Nairobi.

I live alone in a small one-roomed mud house in Kibera, for which I pay 1,500 Kenyan shillings per month (US$21). I earn 220 Kenyan shillings a day working as a tailor in an apparel factory. But with overtime, I can earn just over 240 Kenyan shillings.

I support my late brother's children, who live in another village here in Kibera. My mother, who lives up country, relies on me too.

Between them all I give them 2,000 Kenyan shillings a month. This caters for my mother's needs and for my nieces' and nephews' school fees. However, at times the children end up not going to school because they don't have enough money for everything else.

I buy my water in jerry cans from vendors in the area and this costs me 600 shillings each month.

Recently I bought myself a cellphone. Note: Having a cell phone at her income level is a pretty common thing. Cell phones are already the most important communications devices in third world countries. Not computers, but cell phones are helping people to stay connected and even make payments to local microfinance banks. See: Grameen Bank

Lily would rather walk to work and save her money to buy credit for her phone. It was 6,300 Kenyan shillings (US$87) and each week I spend approximately 250 Kenyan shillings on phone credit.

Sometimes I take public transport to work, when I can afford it. A one-way trip is 30 Kenyan shillings. However, when I can't afford to pay I walk to work.

In order to meet some of my needs I had borrow from some lenders at work - people you borrow from and then when you pay them back you do so with interest.

Currently I am 5,000 Kenyan shillings in debt (US$69).

Luckily, as I can sew I make my own dresses and so I only have to spend money on buying the fabric that I like.

US$1 = 72.36 Kenyan shillings

LILY'S MONTHLY BUDGET

Per month Kenya Shillings US $

Pay 3,256 45

Overtime 450 6

Rent -1,500 -21

Dependents -2,000 -28

Electricity -800 -11

Water -600 -8

Transport -1,300 -18