Mrs. Lodespoto’s Spanish 3 class was assigned the video, “Could You Live on $1 a Day?”  This documentary explored the real stories behind poverty-stricken families in Guatemala through the experiences of four American boys. 

 

Specifically, the video edited and produced by Chris Temple, Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard, and Ryan Christoffersen follows the challenges associated with living on $1 a day for an entire summer in a rural Guatemalan village. Their entire focus is to answer the question: What does it really mean to live on $1 a day? 

 

To provide context, the main subjects, Chris and Zach, are American citizens who wanted to determine what living in  the village of Pena Blanca is like, as it is a rural city stricken by poverty: in which 7 out of 10 people live under the poverty line. 

 

Most people of the village are informally employed as a day laborer or farmer, so they never know when or how much they will get paid. In order to make the experience authentic, the young adults who made the documentary followed the same path: they worked for the same small amount of money that the natives did. At the end of every week, actually,  the group picked out of a hat how much money they would earn.. Somedays, they earned  $9, while others it was $0. Therefore, it gave them the real experience of what families endured every day: sometimes they were able to afford food, other days they couldn’t. 

 

In order to make it more authentic, the video highlights some individuals in the town and gives the opportunity for them to share their stories. For example, Chino is a 12-year-old who dropped out of school to provide for his family. Chino's family could not afford the $0.25 charge of books for school. Anthony and Rosa, other natives to Guatemala, live in a house of 8. They survive on $1.25 each per day, which needs to last to cover the cost of food, baby necessities, kids’ educations and house repairs. Despite their conditions, the video highlights that they are still such kind people and are willing to help Chris and Zach survive. 

 

Once a year, Guatemalans have a large traditional meal and they invited Chris and Zach to it during the time they spent filming the documentary. What Chris and Zach reflected on was that “They have so little, yet they’re willing to give so much.” These people do not know greed because they barely have enough to survive. The life of Rosa and Anthony highlights the unpredictability of money flow with the daunting “checklist” of essentials to life needed. 

 

Just because their life is basically written out for them already due to poverty, does not set aside the fact they have a larger aspiration than working on the field from check to check. 

 

Chino has the dream of being a pro soccer player, yet knows he’s going to be a farmer. Chino has already accepted that his dreams are truly just dreams at the age of 12. Most kids have the privilege of playing a sport starting at the age of three, and for the most part, can excel in it. It’s hard to imagine something so miniscule in the average person's life could be another person's biggest wish. 

 

Another member of the town, Rosa Coj Bocel’s dream was to study to become a nurse but she was not able to due to financial issues. She dropped out of school in the 6th grade to work on the fields. Rosa had to set aside everything she wanted in life just to survive. She even comments in the documentary, “I wish to have my degree and license as a nurse.” Just because she cannot become one, does not stop her from wanting to achieve her dream, which underlines the fact that no matter how old someone becomes, their dreams don't just dissipate.

 

What this video did, in fact, showcase was the life of those who are underprivileged. It conveyed the emotional turmoil felt when  longing for something that is not financially possible for you.  

 

 

The question viewers are left to think about is: What does it really mean to live off $1 a day? It means a few things: struggle, sacrifice, hunger, limited opportunities and constant decision making. But this type of extreme poverty can also bring communities together. The village of Peña Blanca is a tight-knit community because they all are going through a somewhat similar situation.

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Next time you think about complaining about having to go to sports practice or going to school, think about the people who would do anything for the chance to learn and play a sport. In the documentary, a community member even said: “But I have one favor to ask, please don’t forget about the people here in Peña Blanca, because we are not only fighting to better our lives, we are also fighting just to survive.” After all, your worst day could be considered someone's dream, so do not take what you have for granted.