Living on One Dollar

Living on One Dollar is an insightful documentary created to transport viewers into the world of impoverished Guatemalans who survive on only one dollar a day, on average. The film follows two college students studying Economics and two filmmakers through their journey in Peña Blanca, an indigent area in Guatemala. In order to simulate a realistic lifestyle, the American students wrote numbers zero through nine on slips of paper, placed them in a hat, and drew one number each day to represent their daily income. Some days were zero, and some were nine, which replicates the unpredictability of the incomes of the people of Peña Blanca. The consistent majority of these individuals work on a day-to-day basis, meaning they do not know when they will work, how much they will be paid, or how often they will be paid. Budgeting and planning is nearly impossible with an inconsistent income, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Stemming from this poverty, individuals are negatively effected in countless ways. There is no money for nutritious food, no money to pay for an education, no money for adequate shelter, and no money for medicine or healthcare. Many of the small things we take for granted, these people lack, which is one of the main things these students portrayed in their film.

One thing that stuck out to us while watching was the incredible generosity that underprivileged Guatemalans showed. In one story shared firsthand by a man in Peña Blanca, was about a young boy with a sick mother. Carlos, who was just nine years old, had a violently ill mother who needed emergency medical care. Carlos and his father tried to scrape up every penny they could to take her to the hospital, but with such a small budget and an inconsistent income, they did not have enough. Desperate and afraid, they turned to a neighbor and asked him for assistance. Without blinking an eye, the neighbor, who was in a very desolate situation himself, paid for the mother's medical care. When the American students asked him why he was so willing to help, he said "I just pictured Carlos as myself as a boy, and I knew I had to help." This jaw-dropping display of empathy shows the values of the community. In a place where everyone has so little, they are willing to give so much.

Another noteworthy part of the film is the description of micro-loans and other economic tools introduced to help lift up the people of Peña Blanca. Micro-loans are small loans given out to allow men and women in bad situations to start their own business or fund their education. The movie showed many examples of people who were able to thrive on these loans, paying them back in small increments as they are able. Many came up with innovative ideas to make money, which is an idea central to capitalism. This is an example of a way that capitalism has benefited society. Taking out loans and starting a business allowed these individuals to considerably improve their lifestyles. While capitalism creates a great wealth disparity, there are certain situations where it can be benevolent.

Savings accounts and savings clubs are other economic tools that improve the lives of those in poverty. Savings accounts encourage teaching individuals to save small portions of their inform in case of emergency. This is especially important in cases where there is not a consistent, steady income, and can save lives in situations of medical emergency or natural disaster. Savings clubs consist of twelve of so contributing individuals who all agree to put a small amount of their income each month into a mutual pool of money. This collective sum of money is randomly distributed to each individual contributor until they have all benefited from an unexpected, large amount of money at once.

Although all of these instances provide great ways to help, they can often be ineffective because commercial banks create strict criteria that individuals must attain in order to obtain a loan or create a bank account, and this criteria is almost always impossible for impoverished individuals to meet. These tools cannot effect change if they are not readily available. The documentary touched on a few institutions who have fair criteria and give out many loans, but highlighted the fact they are few and far between. If there are no accessible tools to lift people out of poverty, the cycle will perpetuate.

One student on his sixty day journey in Peña Blanca mentioned that there are more people living above the poverty line than below. If each person above assisted one person below, we could achieve a society without poverty. Now, this is very impractical, but very thought provoking. What can we do on an individual level to fix this dire situation? It's mind blowing to consider that people actually live this way since it is so different than many of us are accustomed to. As it is a difficult subject, many find themselves ignoring this issue instead of taking action, but this is a toxic mindset to have. It may seem impossible to make a tangible difference,  but raising awareness and donating to organizations and non-profits that assist those like the people living in Peña Blanca is a perfect place to start.