Giving people in poverty cash helps, but does it last? We documented a village one day, one week, one month, and one year after everyone got $550. The transformation was profound. ⬇️
All 942 adults in Bondo, Malawi received their first payments from GiveDirectly in December, 2023. Watch below as Daniel (23), Chrissy (49), and Monica (24) use their cash to lift themselves out of poverty.
Give today and have your donation doubled for the next community: GiveDirectly.org/2024match
"I'm an emotional person. I'm also a crier.
I've been caught in active addiction since I was 14. There have been a lot of barriers that stopped me from growing and getting out of active addiction.
I couldn't get a driver's license, so I walked two hours to my 14-hour job and two hours back home every day. I associated those 18-hour days with my past relapses.
But then came GiveDirectly’s RISE GMI (Rural Income for Self Empowerment Guaranteed Minimum Income).
I didn't know I was going to be able to buy my son presents for Christmas. He's 14, and he had a great Christmas because of it.
Programs like this allow people to get their license, pay their bills and change their life for the better. I think that we need more love like this in the world. One day I hope I'm in a position to pay it forward.
I'm not saying it is and I'm not saying it ain't, but there's a good chance this might make the difference for me to stay sober.”
Stephen in the USA
Learn more about our work in the USA at GiveDirectly.org/united-states
What if the most powerful thing you could do was simply trust people?
That's the idea behind GiveDirectly - our newest charity partner. They give cash directly to people living in extreme poverty, no strings attached. And the evidence is clear: it works.
Decades of research show direct cash transfers are one of the most effective, transparent, and dignified forms of global aid.
See how our partnership is making an impact.
#GiveDirectly #DirectCash #Humanitix #TicketsForGood #SocialImpact #EndExtremePoverty #BusinessForGood
“The first time I received a cash transfer from GiveDirectly, it was life-saving. It was my due date and I was waiting at the hospital scared. I went into the delivery room not knowing how I would pay for the operation, the medication and everything else the hospital would ask. It was a successful delivery and that night as I was lying in bed wondering, the message hit my phone. I read it with so much joy and tears in my eyes.
I immediately sent for clothes for the baby and paid for medication and food. This money came at the right time when I needed it most, now my baby is okay and I'm also recovering very well.
A month later, GiveDirectly sent another cash transfer and this allowed my husband and I to join the village saving group. We also bought a new motorbike and my husband now runs a successful motortaxi business for us. We are saving to purchase another motorbike in the near future. I’m so grateful for the support that enabled me to deliver my baby safely and start a family business.”
Bijoux in Uganda
Learn more about our work in Uganda at GiveDirectly.org/uganda
“I lost my father when I was still a small boy. The little I remember about him has stayed with me all these years. He was a caring man, the kind of father who would do whatever it took to make sure his family never went hungry. He always pushed me to take school seriously and work hard. Sometimes I sit and think, ‘if he had lived a bit longer, maybe my life would have taken a different path. Maybe I would have gone further with my education’.
Now I am 68 years old. I got married and later became a widower. I have eight children, and they are all out there living their own lives. I am grateful for them but deep inside, there has always been one thing that made me feel like I failed somehow. I never managed to build my father a tombstone.
So when I received money from GiveDirectly, I made up my mind. I told myself, if I do not do it now, I might never do it. I have kept $115 aside just for my father’s tombstone. Right now, I am only waiting for the rains to completely stop so the work can begin.
Honestly, the support came at the right time. It feels like I will finally be able to do something I have carried in my heart for many years. It gives me peace just thinking about it. And I find myself hoping that one day, when I am gone, someone will also remember me this way.”
Juliano in Malawi
Learn more about our work in Malawi at GiveDirectly.org/malawi
“I have always seen mothers arrive with their children extremely malnourished in my four years at this hospital. Unfortunately, I have also seen many give up on treatment before the end. The main reasons they gave me was the distance to the hospital and the lack of money. This left me deeply frustrated, because we knew what needed to be done, but we had no way of solving the problem outside the hospital.
Since GiveDirectly came, I see very clear changes. Mothers are coming to the hospital more, and they don't give up so easily. Many now have bicycles or even motorcycles, which makes it much easier to get around, especially as many communities are very far from the hospital. And the most incredible thing is that our figures for monthly discharges of children with malnutrition have improved a lot in a few months. We've even discharged 20 children just this month, which was unthinkable before.
I've also noticed something that may seem small, but which shows a real transformation: hygiene. Mothers and children now arrive at the hospital wearing clean clothes. This shows not only a change in their financial situation, but also in their self-esteem and care for themselves.”
Hafussa, Mecutamala Health Center, Mozambique
Learn more about our work in Mozambique at GiveDirectly.org/mozambique
The US-Iran war may be thousands of miles away from countries like Malawi, yet its effects are already being felt.
With fuel price spikes come wider-spread cost rises now impacting some of the world’s poorest communities. In landlocked countries where families already spend the majority of their income on food and goods travel entirely by truck, a shock like this arrives fast and hits hard.
CNN reports that fuel prices across Africa have risen by as much as 15%-40%.
Malawi raised petrol prices 34% and diesel 35% in a single regulatory adjustment. In a landlocked country where nearly everything moves by truck, that’s an immediate food price problem.
For people already living on very little, even a small price increase can mean cutting back on meals, or not being able to afford transport to work or a clinic.
Only this week, UNDP named targeted and temporary cash transfers as their number 1 recommended policy response to this price shock.
We're continuing to deliver cash transfer, supporting communities living in extreme poverty during this price shock.
Learn more from the link in our bio.
Conflict doesn't have to be on your doorstep to upend your life. The US-Iran war may be thousands of miles away from countries like Malawi, Uganda, and Mozambique, yet its effects are already being felt.
With fuel and fertilizer price spikes come wider-spread cost rises now impacting some of the world’s poorest communities. In landlocked countries where families already spend the majority of their income on food and goods travel entirely by truck, a shock like this arrives fast and hits hard.
Budgets that used to cover several days of meals may now only last a couple.
Rising oil and fertilizer prices filter through to food costs, meaning the next harvest may be smaller and more expensive too.
@CNN reports that fuel prices across Africa have risen by as much as 15%-40%.
For people already living on very little, even a small price increase can mean cutting back on meals, or not being able to afford transport to work or a clinic.
Only this week, @UNDP named targeted and temporary cash transfers as their #1 recommended policy response to this price shock.
We're continuing to deliver cash transfer, supporting communities living in extreme poverty during this price shock.
Learn more via our website.
We've heard your feedback: 85 cents of every dollar going directly to people in extreme poverty is way too efficient. We're fixing that.
GiveDirectly cordially invites you to The Inefficiency Gala — a black tie gala so expensive and logistically complex that by midnight we'll have closed the gap with other charities.
Join us for:
→ Keynotes from consultants who have never been to Africa
→ Panel: "Is Direct Cash Too Efficient?"
→ The cast of White Lotus Season 4, PJ'ed in for the night
→ Pierce Brosnan singing the Mamma Mia soundtrack in full
→ Open bar, charged to our new "Party Planning" team (approx. 90% of 2026 expenses)
Black tie. No impact. RSVP: luma.com/xrvgeqyj
100% of funds raised go to paying for the gala, plus a few Banksys for the office.
Sponsored by Friends of Overhead & The International Middlemen Guild.
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Happy #AprilFools! GiveDirectly donations go directly to people in extreme poverty — not galas. See exactly where your money goes at GiveDirectly.org/financials
Ramadan ends in 10 days and so does our Zakat campaign for 900 families in Mozambique.
Giving Zakat as direct cash empowers families in poverty to choose how best to address the many crises they face from extreme poverty, armed conflict, natural disasters and health risks.
100% of Zakat given through this page will be delivered directly to Zakat-eligible families in need. Each family will receive $550 each, no strings attached.
Help us reach all 900 families in northern Mozambique at Givedirectly.org/zakat.
