Give directly to 650 families for Giving Tuesday
This campaign is now closed, but you can help fill the gap on our campaigns with 13 Substackers and Daily Stoic.
You can send life-changing cash to every family across 4 Rwandan villages.
All 650 families will receive ~$1,100 each via mobile transfer to spend and invest on what they need most, including:
- 🥘 Food, as residents typically don’t eat more than 1 meal per day (usually limited to local crops like cassava)
- 🛖 Safe housing, given increasingly heavy rains that damage mud- and stick-based homes
- 🌽 Farmland, as most residents don’t have enough land to feed their families and earn income from their crops
Your donations will be delivered to residents like Mediatrice, who plans to use the cash to pay off her debts and build a house.
Here’s a typical house for a family of four in the region. With just ~$300, families can build their first, permanent homes.
Last Giving Tuesday, 1,200 donors helped transform 3 neighboring villages in Rwanda.
Thanks to your generosity, we delivered funds to every family in Gasutamo, Gasharu, and Nyaruteja villages. Here’s how they spent it →
Tuyishimire launched his first business – and a year later, it’s still thriving.
Research shows that cash can transform lives – and entire communities.
500+ rigorous academic studies show just how effective cash can be across diverse outcomes like:
- 📈 Boosting local economies by 2.5X for every cash transfer
- 👶 Reducing mortality rates for mothers and babies by 46-70%
- 🍛 Improving families’ food security and nutrition (even more than a nutrition program)
- ⏰ Creating lasting financial gains, even 12 years later
Cash gives people the dignity and flexibility to meet their own needs to create the outcomes they want – from installing water pumps, to sending children to school, to purchasing their first mattress, and so much more.
Frequently asked questions
How does the match work?
All donations through this page will be matched (1:1, or 2X) until 11:59PM ET on Dec. 3rd, or until $500,000 in match funds is used. This is a “true match”, so if we don’t reach our $500,000 goal, the leftover match funds will expire.
Due to processing times, we’re unable to match donations made via check, wire, DAF, stocks, crypto, or our international partners.
If you’re interested in making a match pledge for future campaigns like this or would like to request we run a match campaign in your country, reach out to us at [email protected].
What if we raise more or less than the fundraising goal?
Any excess funds will help us deliver cash to more people in Rwanda, with the goal of funding all 654 families across four villages with ~$900,000 total. GiveDirectly will allocate internal funds to make up the gap between our fundraising and the total needed to ensure every family receives funds. No matter what, your donations will end up in the hands of families in extreme poverty.
How much money will each family receive?
Every eligible household in the village will receive ~$1,100 in Rwandan francs, sent directly to their mobile phone accounts. Read more about the enrollment and payment process here.
What if I’d like to make a major gift or help fund more villages?
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at [email protected].
Can I make a recurring donation?
Please do! Recurring donations make our fundraising more consistent, which makes planning and operations more efficient. If you donate with a recurring donation today, only the first payment will be matched.
What is GiveDirectly?
We’re a non-profit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, we’ve delivered your donations to 1.6 million people across 15 countries.
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. You can donate via our international partners to claim tax benefits, but due to partner processing delays those donations may not come in before the campaign ends.
Reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions or for more information on ways to give.
Can I get matched from outside the U.S.?
If you’re giving outside the U.S., you can still give to this campaign via card/PayPal, but your gift may not be tax-deductible. You can donate via our international partners to claim tax benefits, but due to partner processing delays those donations will not be matched.
We are running a separate match for UK donors here, which you can support through Dec. 31st or until match funds run out.