A global fundraiser challenging people to live below the extreme poverty line for four days kicks off today, with money raised by thousands of participants in Australia set to directly benefit needy people in Cambodia.

The Live Below the Line campaign was launched in 2010 by Australian NGO Oaktree, which funds educational and poverty-alleviating projects in Cambodia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea. The campaign has since spread to New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Colombia.

Participants are challenged to spend no more than the $1.25 the World Bank defines as the extreme poverty line on food each day. That figure is adjusted to fit local prices and in Australia means no more than A$2 ($1.60) daily.

Over 30,000 Australians have taken part in the challenge since its inception, collectively raising almost $5.9 million.

“Live Below the Line is about recognising the potential of young people,” said Oaktree CEO Chris Wallace in a press release. “It’s built on the belief that everybody should have access to an education, regardless of where they’re born.”

The challenge finishes on May 8.