Give directly to families in poverty with Basic Income Walk
You can send cash directly to families living in extreme poverty.
We’re partnering with @BasicIncomeWalk so you can send cash directly to families who need it most.
Traditional aid often decides for people what they need, when they need it, and how they should use it. It’s well-intentioned, but often disempowering. Giving cash shifts power to the person living in poverty, recognizing they are the expert in their own lives and granting them the dignity to choose for themselves.
500+ rigorous academic studies show just how effective cash can be across outcomes like:
- 📈 Boosting local economies by 2.5x for every cash transfer
- 👶 Cutting infant mortality rates in half
- 🍛 Improving families’ food security and nutrition (even more than a nutrition program)
Since 2009, GiveDirectly has delivered over $1 billion in cash directly into the hands of 2+ million people living in poverty. We currently work in DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, and the U.S.
Your money goes farther for someone in extreme poverty.
Families in extreme poverty currently live on $1-2 per day and struggle to meet their basic needs. Many struggle to eat more than one meal a day, pay their children’s school fees, and repair their homes.
To us, ~$1,100 buys a new laptop or a month of rent. In the hands of a family in extreme poverty, it’s more than one year’s income. In Rwanda:
- 🐔 $4 buys a chicken
- 🌽 $35 buys 1 month of food for 1 person
- 💧 $75 buys a 500L water tank
- 📚 $200 covers 1 semester of university fees
- 🛖 $600 buys a new house
Your donation will help people like Beatrice and Aphrodis transform their own lives.
Beatrice and Aphrodis live in northern Rwanda, and their village received their cash transfers earlier this year.
“Before the GiveDirectly cash support, life was very hard. We survived on subsistence farming from our very small piece of land, and casual farm jobs that earned us about $1 a day,” said Beatrice.
“We didn’t harvest enough to feed us for even a few weeks. On top of that, we lived in an old, leaky house that was badly damaged by rain. We couldn’t afford iron sheets to replace the roof.”
“When we received the cash transfer, we used it to buy wood, iron sheets, sand, and cement, and repaired our home. Now our house is strong, and comfortable to sleep in. We also bought a piece of land for $400, which will allow us to grow more crops, increase our harvest, and depend less on casual jobs.”
They also bought a pig for $70. “Once it reproduces, we will sell the piglets to meet our needs and save for future projects. We hope to renovate our house more, and maybe buy another piece of land for farming. This support has truly improved our lives. Before, we could only dream of such projects, but now they are becoming a reality.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is GiveDirectly?
We’re a nonprofit that lets you send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, we’ve delivered cash to over 2 million people across 15 countries, and we research the impacts it can have for families in need.
What if I’d like to make a major gift?
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes, donations are tax-deductible in the United States. We accept all major credit and debit cards, PayPal, checks, wires, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and more.
If you’re giving outside the U.S., you can still give to this campaign, but your gift may not be tax-deductible. Reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org with any questions or for more information on ways to give.