Giving Tuesday: Give directly to 437 Rwandan families in poverty
Thanks to your incredible generosity, we filled ~$591K of our $600K match. While our match has ended, you can still give to reach more Rwandan families in need.
Send life-changing cash to 437 Rwandan families in need.
All 437 families across two villages in the Ruyumba region of Rwanda will each receive ~$1,100 to spend and invest on what they need most.
Families in Ruyumba currently live on $1-2/day and struggle to meet their basic needs:
- Most people are farmers, but don’t own large enough plots to grow enough food; many struggle to eat more than one meal a day
- Water supply is inconsistent – people often rely on nearby natural streams to collect water when the wells are dry
- There are few jobs for young people, and families don’t have the capital to start small businesses
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. Here’s how far your donation can go:
| Cost (USD) | What a family might invest in |
| $4 | 🐔 A chicken |
| $35 | 🌽 1 month of food for 1 person |
| $75 | 💧 500L water tank |
| $200 | 📚 1 semester of university fees |
| $600 | 🛖 A new house |
Your donation will help people like Rosette and Theoneste transform their own lives.
Rosette and Theoneste live in northern Rwanda, and their village received their cash transfers earlier this year.
“Two years ago, we bought the land where our house is built, but we could not pay for it fully. This debt weighed heavily on us for years. We’re subsistence farmers with only a small piece of land, and our harvest is never enough. To survive, we also do casual farm work on other people’s land, earning just $1 a day. Saving enough to pay the debt was very hard, especially while also struggling to buy food and pay for our children’s education.”
“When we received the first part of the cash support, we managed to pay over $220 of the debt we owed for the land. This brought us so much peace of mind.”
“We also bought a pig, which we hope will bring income through breeding with other people’s pigs. We also bought school supplies for our children, something we could not afford before.”
They plan to invest in more livestock and buy an extra piece of land to increase their harvests. “We hope to renovate our house by plastering the walls and floor with cement. With better harvests and selling livestock offspring, we’ll have more reliable sources of income.”
Hear directly from Athanasie in Rwanda about how the cash she received from last Giving Tuesday transformed her life:
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
- 👶 Cutting infant mortality rates in half
- 🍛 Improving families’ food security and nutrition (even more than a nutrition program)
People in poverty deserve to choose how best to improve their lives, and cash gives people the dignity and flexibility to meet their own needs. By giving today, you’re helping families in need choose how to invest in their futures.
Give by DAF, check, wire, or stock →
Frequently asked questions
How does the match work?
Thanks to your incredible generosity, we filled ~$591K of our $600K match. While our match has ended, you can still give to reach more Rwandan families in need.
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 info@givedirectly.org.
All donations through this page will be boosted by 50% until 11:59PM ET on Dec. 2nd, or until the match funds are used.
This is a “true match”, so if we don’t reach our $600,000 goal, the leftover match funds will expire.
Due to processing times, we’re unable to match donations made via DAF, check, wire, or stock.
What if we raise more or less than the fundraising goal?
Any excess funds will help us deliver cash to more people in Rwanda. 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 USD 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 info@givedirectly.org.
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 boosted.
What is GiveDirectly?
GiveDirectly is 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 1.8+ 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 info@givedirectly.org with any questions or for more information on ways to give.