Famine project is lesson in global engagement

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A. Sue Weisler

First-year College of Liberal Arts student Kaitie Spaude raised awareness about Kibera slum dwellers in Africa by living on only one dollar’s worth of food each day for 20 days. Her diet consisted mainly of corn, fruit and rice.

Kaitie Spaude’s mantra: Don’t knock it ’til you try it. Complete immersion in life experiences is a principle that guides her—and one that led her to push the boundaries of an honors class assignment.

For 20 days this fall, Spaude, a first-year journalism/media arts and technology honors student from Little Suamico, Wis., fed herself on the equivalent of $1 a day—basic meals of rice, beans, corn and fruit—along with a daily allowance of only four gallons of water. She slept on residence hall floors and used her wool blanket for warmth or as a pillow depending on the night’s temperature.

The experience was not only Spaude’s take on an assignment in Professor Danielle Smith’s Honors Seminar, Exploration of Places and Spaces, but it snowballed into a conversation starter, a lesson in global engagement for Spaude’s peers about making a difference and civic responsibility— a crucial component of the RIT experience.

The assignment called for students to explore a region of the world and tell a story through words, pictures or a journal. But Spaude chose instead to temporarily live the life of the desperate souls in the Kibera slum region of Nairobi, Kenya, the largest slum in the world.

“I used my body as the space the project was undertaking, and I kept track of, in simple terms, the detrition of my body,” Spaude said. “I wanted to feel hungry. I wanted to wake up sore. I wanted to try to understand what they feel every day.”

Spaude followed the Kibera diet as closely as possible—with the addition of an occasional scoop of peanut butter for a protein boost—and minimized her water consumption, limiting shower time to about one minute, which utilized an average of 2.1 gallons of water.

“If I had a dance rehearsal or a particularly active day, I would drink more water—which meant that my showers were a bit shorter.”

During the first week of her project, Spaude lost nearly six pounds and noticed that her heart rate slowed and she was more easily fatigued. As a precaution, Spaude regularly checked in with RIT’s Student Health Center throughout the project to monitor vital signs. She also kept a journal documenting her research.

“Some people read a story and say to themselves, ‘That’s so sad, that’s awful.’ But for me, it’s a very different experience to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s different when you put yourself in that lifestyle instead of just reading about it. I wanted to experience it and say, ‘This is what they live off of. You’ve read that statistic, but this is what it feels like to live this statistic.’”

“Kaitie’s 20-day experience is a life-long experience for millions of women, children and other vulnerable populations that we share the world and a common humanity with,” said Smith. “However, their experiences are not of their own making, but the consequences of poor governance, poverty, conflict and other societal dysfunctions. Kaitie’s experience gives us important insight into the lives of many whose voices remain unheard.”

According to Smith, this type of project is in line with what the Honors First Year Seminar represents. “It is about getting young and bright students actively engaged in confronting the most challenging issues of our times,” she explained. “I am thrilled that we can provide this learning opportunity for honors students and I hope that this model of experiential learning can be extended to all students.”

As for Spaude, she is always searching for things that she can be passionate about. “This project was a great way to participate in something that was my choice and my rules—just to try it for me to see if I can do it. I’m happy to raise awareness for this cause at the same time.”