Substackers Fight Poverty: 1.5x your impact for 800+ families in Rwanda
Created by
GiveDirectly & your favorite Substackers
Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Infinite Scroll Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Understanding AI Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Jill Filipovic Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Sustain What Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
American Inequality Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Astral Codex Ten Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Body Type Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Singal Minded Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Global Dispatches Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Derek Thompson Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Lenny’s Newsletter Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
I Might Be Wrong Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Can We Still Govern Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Data, on Average Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Under Development Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Off Message Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Apricitas Economics Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
FarmKind Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
China Talk Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Emily In Your Phone Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Marie Newman Studio Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Foreign Exchanges Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
New Comer Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
From Poverty to Progress Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Global Development & Economic Advancement Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Good Thoughts Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Healthy Rich Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Philosophy Happens Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Jasmi.News Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
The Bulwark Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
The Argument Readers: Join us in sending life-changing cash to every family across 3 Rwandan villages.
Your favorite Substack writers are teaming up to send ~$1,100 via digital transfer to all 800+ families across 3 villages in the Bikara region of Rwanda to spend and invest on what they need most.
While match funds last, your donation will be 1.5x matched, meaning every $100 donation will turn into $150 for families in need.
Families in Bikara currently live on $1-2/day and struggle to meet their basic needs:
- Most people are farmers, but don’t own large enough plots to grow enough food; many struggle to eat more than one meal a day
- Water supply is inconsistent – people often rely on nearby natural streams to collect water when the wells are dry
- There are few jobs for young people, and families don’t have the capital to start small businesses
To us, ~$1,100 buys a new laptop or a month of rent. In the hands of a family in extreme poverty, it’s more than one year’s income. Here’s how far your donation can go:
| Cost (USD) | What a family might invest in |
| $4 | 🐔 A chicken |
| $35 | 🌽 1 month of food for 1 person |
| $75 | 💧 500L water tank |
| $200 | 📚 1 semester of university fees |
| $600 | 🛖 A new house |
Your donation will help people like Beatrice and Aphrodis transform their own lives.
Beatrice and Aphrodis live in northern Rwanda, and their village received their cash transfers earlier this year.
“Before the GiveDirectly cash support, life was very hard. We survived on subsistence farming from our very small piece of land, and casual farm jobs that earned us about $1 a day,” said Beatrice.
“We didn’t harvest enough to feed us for even a few weeks. On top of that, we lived in an old, leaky house that was badly damaged by rain. We couldn’t afford iron sheets to replace the roof.”
“When we received the cash transfer, we used it to buy wood, iron sheets, sand, and cement, and repaired our home. Now our house is strong, and comfortable to sleep in. We also bought a piece of land for $400, which will allow us to grow more crops, increase our harvest, and depend less on casual jobs.”
They also bought a pig for $70. “Once it reproduces, we will sell the piglets to meet our needs and save for future projects. We hope to renovate our house more, and maybe buy another piece of land for farming. This support has truly improved our lives. Before, we could only dream of such projects, but now they are becoming a reality.”
Research shows that cash can transform lives – and entire communities.
500+ rigorous academic studies show just how effective cash can be across diverse outcomes like:
- 📈 Boosting local economies by 2.5x for every cash transfer
- 👶 Cutting infant mortality rates in half
- 🍛 Improving families’ food security and nutrition (even more than a nutrition program)
People in poverty deserve to choose how best to improve their lives, and cash gives people the dignity and flexibility to meet their own needs. By giving today, you’re helping families in need choose how to invest in their futures.
Join your favorite Substack writers in sending cash to all 800+ families.
- American Inequality
- Apricitas Economics
- Astral Codex Ten
- Body Type
- Can We Still Govern
- ChinaTalk
- Data, on Average
- Derek Thompson
- Emily In Your Phone
- FarmKind
- Foreign Exchanges
- From Poverty to Progress
- Global Development & Economic Advancement
- Global Dispatches
- Good Thoughts
- I Might Be Wrong
- Infinite Scroll
- Jill Filipovic
- Lenny’s Newsletter
- Marie Newman Studio
- New Comer
- Off Message
- Singal Minded
- Slow Boring
- Sustain What
- The Argument
- The Bulwark
- Under Development
- Understanding AI
Are you a Substack author that wants to join? DM us here and our team will get back to you.
Give by DAF, check, wire, or stock →
Frequently asked questions
How does the match work?
All donations through this page will be boosted by 50% until 11:59PM ET on Dec. 31st, or until the match funds are used.
This is a “true match”, so if we don’t reach our $600,000 goal, the leftover match funds will not be donated to GiveDirectly.
Due to processing times, we’re unable to match donations made via check, wire, DAF, stocks, crypto, or our international partners.
If you’re interested in making a match pledge for future campaigns like this or would like to request we run a match campaign in your country, reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org.
What if we raise more or less than the fundraising goal?
Any excess funds will help us deliver cash to more people in Rwanda. GiveDirectly will allocate internal funds to make up the gap between our fundraising and the total needed to ensure every family receives funds. No matter what, your donations will end up in the hands of families in extreme poverty.
How much money will each family receive?
Every eligible household in the village will receive ~$1,100 in Rwandan francs, sent directly to their mobile phone accounts. Read more about the enrollment and payment process here.
What if I’d like to make a major gift or help fund more villages?
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org.
Can I make a recurring donation?
Please do! Recurring donations make our fundraising more consistent, which makes planning and operations more efficient. If you donate with a recurring donation today, only the first payment will be boosted.
What is GiveDirectly?
GiveDirectly is a non-profit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, we’ve delivered your donations to 1.8+ million people across 15 countries.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes, donations are tax-deductible in the United States. We accept all major credit and debit cards, PayPal, checks, wires, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and more.
If you’re giving outside the U.S., you can still give to this campaign but your gift may not be tax-deductible. You can donate via our international partners to claim tax benefits, but due to partner processing delays those donations may not come in before the campaign ends.
Reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org with any questions or for more information on ways to give.