Apr 30, 2026

GiveDirectly

Cash that saves lives

Joe Mullich

Open follow modal

Personalized Content

Joe Mullich

Follow this author to personalize your feed and get instant alerts.

FollowGo to your personalized feed

WHY FOLLOW?

Custom Feed: See the stories that matter most to you.
Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens.

Update your preferences in Account Settings

Agnes, Kenya, started a watermelon farm.

Agnes, Kenya, started a watermelon farm.Courtesy GiveDirectly

Give cash directly to people in poverty, no strings attached, and trust them to spend it wisely? For years, many were dubious of the idea behind the charity GiveDirectly. But in late 2025, a landmark working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research showed that in rural Kenya, households receiving cash transfers from GiveDirectly saw infant mortality fall by 48% and under-five mortality by 45%, declines on par with major public-health interventions. “It’s a result that focuses attention on how poverty and health intersect,” says Nick Allardice, CEO of the New York-based nonprofit, which issues its cash infusions primarily in the U.S. and Africa. “It doesn't matter how good a hospital is if a pregnant mom can't afford transport to get to her doctor's appointment.” A randomized trial now underway in Malawi—six times larger than the Kenya study—is testing whether direct cash can spark broad economic growth across an entire region.