Images of refugees in boats make headlines and grip hearts, but we rarely think about what happens to them 1, 2, or even 10 years later. It turns out that refugees spend, on average, 10+ years in settlements or camps. The aid they receive helps them survive, but rarely do they get the chance to […]
Blog - Operations
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Operations
Taking cash to new frontiers – What we learned (part 3/3)
In 2016-2017, we delivered cash transfers to one of the remotest and most operationally challenging locations we have ever worked in, reaching some of the poorest recipients we have ever met. In this series of posts, we look at why we did it, how we did it, and what we learned from the experience. At […]
Operations
Taking cash to new frontiers – How we reached remote recipients (part 2/3)
In 2016-2017, we delivered cash transfers to one of the remotest and most operationally challenging locations we have ever worked in, reaching some of the poorest recipients we have ever met. In this series of posts, we look at why we did it, how we did it, and what we learned from the experience. It’s […]
Operations
Taking cash to new frontiers – Why we worked in Uganda’s remote north (part 1/3)
In 2016-2017, we delivered cash transfers to one of the remotest and most operationally challenging locations we have ever worked in, reaching some of the poorest recipients we have ever met. In this series of posts, we look at why we did it, how we did it, and what we learned from the experience. In […]
Operations
Living with a basic income: aspirations (part 3/3)
Part 3 of a 3-part series on lessons we’ve drawn from observing the Universal Basic Income Pilot village over the past year. (Parts 1, 2) For an update on our UBI program please see our UBI study page. “Aspirations” are a hot topic among poverty researchers these days. Following suggestive evidence from studies like this […]
Operations
Living with a basic income: work (part 2/3)
Part 2 of a 3-part series on lessons we’ve drawn from observing the Universal Basic Income Pilot village over the past year. (Part 1) Perhaps the most controversial question about basic income is how it will affect the way people spend their time. Proponents think it will free them up to take more risk – […]
Operations
Living with a basic income: family relationships (part 1/3)
Part 1 of a 3-part series on lessons we’ve drawn from observing the Universal Basic Income Pilot village over the past year. Phoebe is one of the first 100 people in history to live in a community where everyone receives a guaranteed, long-term basic income. GiveDirectly’s basic income initiative launched in her village in October […]
Operations
We’re officially launching UBI
It has begun! As I write, field officers in Bomet County, Kenya are beginning to enroll the first (post-pilot) households into the largest basic income initiative in history.The past 19 months since we announced our plans to test UBI have been remarkable. The debate over basic income continues to rage, from skeptics who call it […]
Operations
An update on fraud management in Uganda
Recently, we finished investigating and resolving a meaningful case of staff fraud in Uganda, and are sharing the results and lessons publicly. As in previous cases, we want to set a norm that charities report this stuff. Fraud is a fact of life in any charitable work and needs to be discussed openly, not kept […]
Operations
Working after Harvey: nuts and bolts
We recently kicked off an experimental project in and around Houston to let folks give directly to people affected by Harvey. (See here for more on why, exactly.) This is a good new challenge for our team: we know we can get money to remote villages in the middle of Ugandan swamps, but can we […]