GiveDirectly gives cash directly to individuals and households living in extreme poverty, with no strings attached.
Recipients can choose how to spend the money, making their own decisions about how best to improve their lives.
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[The GiveDirectly] program gives cash to very poor families, mostly in Africa, to spend as they like. Many participants make investments in business and agricultural assets, housing, and education. ...
Evidence of impact [is] exceptionally strong. Many high-quality studies show that recipients use money to buy goods that improve their lives. The organization we recommend conducts high-quality ongoing monitoring.
“What if you just gave poor people cash with no strings attached? Let them decide how best to use it?”
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"How can we innovate in the huge, $140 billion foreign aid sector? The same way we do in the private sector: routine evaluations of what’s working well and what isn’t."
Read more1 GiveDirectly estimate: "Donate $40 per month. Lift 1 person above extreme poverty. ... Every eligible adult in a target region receives a monthly cash transfer specifically sized to lift them above the local extreme poverty line."
