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 […]
Blog -
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
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 […]
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 […]
Recipients
In their own words: Homelessness and hope
Recipient Charles, a 42-year-old farmer, recently spoke to our backcheck team about his greatest hardships, greatest accomplishments, and hopes for the future (added explanation in italics). Charles was one of 16 recipients selected for in-depth followup this week. We selected his story to share because the translation was relatively clear (something we’re working at getting […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: The power of choice
In the second post of our “why I give directly” blog series, Charlotte Grinberg writes about why she and her husband give directly – and encourage others to do the same. When my husband proposed, in front of our closest friends and two kind strangers with a cellphone, he did what I dreamed he would […]
Recipients
In their own words: I am aging very fast
Recipient Charles, a 72-year-old farmer, recently spoke to our team about his challenges and hopes for the future (added explanation in italics). On hardship: Looking back, I feel the biggest challenge was that my wife and I only had one child, a daughter. So at times I think that if God blessed us with more […]
Recipients
In their own words: Half-broken house
Recipient Nyadeje, a 55-year-old farmer and mother of four, recently spoke to our backcheck team about her current living situation, and what she hopes to accomplish with the transfer (added explanation in italics). On hardship: My biggest hardship has been to raise money to make a better house since I lost my spouse. The house […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: I won the lottery
We have recently begun inviting donors from a variety of backgrounds to reflect on “why I give directly.” To start off the series, we have a post from Jake Stein, cofounder of Philadelphia-based data analytics software company, RJMetrics. Read more about why Jake gives directly.I am a lottery winner. I’ve never played the Powerball or […]