A VOLUNTEER who has worked in some of the world’s poorest communities is spending just 80 pence a day on food — to raise money for impoverished children.

Sally Shepherd will live below the international poverty line for eight days by eating low-cost, healthy ingredients such as fruit, vegetables and rice for seven days.

Miss Shepherd has taken on the challenge to raise money for Mattumaini, a project run by herself and three other volunteers from across the world.

This project is dedicated to the development of the community in the slums of Nakuru, the fourth largest town in Kenya, where Miss Shepherd worked as a volunteer.

Currently, less than 10 per cent of residents in Nakuru have access to sufficient sanitation facilities of adequate quality.

Miss Shepherd, aged 28, of Heaton, is aiming to raise a minimum of about £500 in donations, but would like to raise closer to £1,000.

She said: “I’m really pleased with how it’s going so far. I was expecting headaches, but I’ve not had any.

“The food I’m eating is very similar to what I had in Kenya — they eat a lot of rice and vegetables.

“There has been so much in the news about the link between obesity and poverty and I want to make the point that you can eat big meals and not gain weight.”

Miss Shepherd worked as a glass artist and a teacher, before becoming assistant manager of Projects Abroad Vietnam for 16 months, where she spearheaded the start of a kindergarten for an orphanage in Ha Noi.

In November last year, she moved to Kenya to become the Care and Teaching Coordinator for Projects Abroad Kenya.

Miss Shepherd returned home in October and is due to become a special needs worker from January, once her checks come back.

To find out more about Miss Shepherd’s challenge or about the work of Mattumaini, go to www.mattumiani.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Living below the poverty line’.

To make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com/mattumaini. Donations can be made in dollars via PayPal.