Mitch Riley, one of GiveDirectly’s field directors, explains the logic that goes into answering the question: “why do we use the transfer timing that we do?” The decision on how to break up the approximately $1000 payment per recipient is more complicated than it might seem. We have to take into account a range of […]
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Recipients
In their own words: Macoleta, George, and Elizabeth
Individuals living in extreme poverty face a range of challenges, depending on their age, their family size, their occupation, and other circumstances. This week, Macoleta, George, and Elizabeth spoke to our team about their own personal hardships, and how they plan to spend their transfers. These stories offer a glimpse into the remarkably diverse lives […]
Recipients
In their own words: Lydia, Mary, and Cristina
This week our team spoke to Lydia, Mary, and Cristina about their daily lives and how they plan to spend their cash transfers. We also took pictures of our recipients with their families and around their homes. Lydia Lydia, 23, lives with her husband Peter and three children. She is a farmer. Lydia: I […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: Self-improvement and transparency
In our next “why I give directly” blog series, Katherine Savoie writes about her organization’s rigorous charity vetting process, and how GiveDirectly measures up. Picking a charity is tricky. With millions of charities out there, it can be hard to know where to donate to make the biggest possible difference. At Charity Science we raise […]
Recipients
In their own words: Penina, Lukas, and Fredrick
Penina, Lukas, and Fredrick spoke to our follow up team about how they spent their cash transfers and how this money impacted their lives. Each household has different responsibilities and needs, and cash transfers give recipients flexibility to set their own priorities.Penina Penina, age 29, lives with her husband Thomas and four children. Penina: I […]
Operations
Here we come, Homa Bay
We are very pleased to announce that GiveDirectly is moving its operations in Kenya from Siaya County, north of Kisumu, to Homa Bay County to the south. In Kenya, the counties of Siaya and Homa Bay are relatively close to each other and to our main office in Kisumu. The move represents GiveDirectly’s expanding potential […]
Operations
A wet and muddy situation in the field
Emmanuel, a field officer from Uganda, reflects on a wet and muddy situation in the field. Not every organization can put “how to navigate potentially hippo-infested swamps” on their weekly problem-solving agenda. Field officers traverse the swamp. The enrolment process for our most recent campaign in Uganda began in March – the dry season – […]
Recipients
In their own words: Siprosa, Jane, and Teresia
Siprosa, Jane, and Teresia spoke to our backcheck team this week about their hardest moments, their proudest moments, and how they plan to spend their cash transfers. Interestingly, all three randomly selected recipients are widows. Our enrollment data shows that widows make up about 24% of those surveyed in this community.Siprosa Siprosa lives in the […]
Opinions
Doing Good Better (at Scale?)
Will MacAskill’s excellent new book, Doing Good Better, is now on bookshelves. The book lays out the thinking behind the Effective Altruism movement, with thoughtful perspectives on how to do the most good with both money (donating) and time (choosing a career). GiveDirectly features throughout as a highly effective way of working and giving. We […]
Opinions
Announcing $25M grant from Good Ventures
This week, Good Ventures announced an unrestricted $25M grant to GiveDirectly (some coverage: Good Ventures post, GiveWell post, Vox, Inside Philanthropy, CNBC, Huffington Post, Forbes). A large investment like this reflects a lot of confidence in the team and the vision, and we’re grateful for that. In just a few short years, the discussion around […]