Sending monthly payments to people living in extreme poverty in Africa
Cash from regular transfers helps families in extreme poverty meet their basic needs and invest in their future.
A basic income guarantees monthly payments for communities to meet their needs.
In 2016, GiveDirectly launched the world’s largest and longest universal basic income study in Kenya, with early findings showing promising results. Since then, we’ve expanded to launch 3 basic income programs across 3 more countries in Africa. Separately, we also run guaranteed income programs in the US.
These transfers lift everyone in a village out of (monetary) poverty.
GiveDirectly is currently running basic income programs in some of the poorest parts of Kenya, Malawi, and Mozambique. Every eligible adult in a target region receives a monthly cash transfer specifically sized to lift them above the local extreme poverty line.
Featured Program
🇰🇪 12-Year Basic Income Study in Kenya
Joyce, a UBI recipient in Kenya
Since 2017, GiveDirectly has led the world’s largest and longest term study to date studying the effects of a Universal Basic Income. As part of this $30M project, we have distributed millions of dollars to ~23,000 individuals living across 195 villages, and an additional 100 villages have been surveyed as a control group. Some individuals will receive payments for 12 years, and the full study will last at least that long.
Read about the latest findings here →
Transfer Sizes
- Long-term UBI:$22.50/month for 12 years
- Short-term UBI: $22.50/month for 2 years
- Large lump-sum: one-off $500 payment (comparison group)
- Control: no transfers
Households Reached
~23,000 individuals living across 195 villages
Research Goals
UBI could plausibly affect a wide range of outcomes and behaviors, from what families eat and how they interact with each other, to broader macroeconomic or cultural dynamics. With this in mind, the research team designed the surveys to cover a wide range of outcomes:
- Economic well-being: consumption, assets, remittances, debt and credit, food security, employment
- Health: psychological well-being, nutrition, cognition
Social well-being: mental health, intra-household gender relations, aspirations, social integration - Macroeconomic well-being: price changes, availability of goods & services, community demographics, village infrastructure, political participation, and crime rates
- Financial preferences: willingness to take financial risk, invest, start businesses, and migrate
In the News
People use cash to meet short-term needs and unlock future plans
Syprosa installed clean water for her family
“I have struggled for years to access clean water because the only water source in our village, a dam, is far from my home. Before receiving financial support from GiveDirectly, I had to trek a long distance to fetch water for my family’s daily needs, such as washing and cooking, as well as for my cattle…I deposited $20 to install a water tap in my compound and have been paying $5 monthly from my transfers to maintain it.”
🇰🇪 Syprosa in Kenya
Joseph moved out of his brother’s house
“I have never owned a house before and often rely on my elder brother’s house for accommodation. And since his house is not that spacious, there is always no privacy here. At times when he has guests I have to leave and seek accommodation elsewhere. But with my monthly transfers, I have been working on building my own house.”
🇰🇪 Joseph in Kenya
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to receive funds?
Funds will be directed exclusively to basic income programs targeting recipients living in extreme poverty in Africa. Today, those programs are running in Kenya, Malawi, and Mozambique.
You can support our guaranteed income programs in the U.S. here.
How will funds be delivered?
Funds are delivered directly to the recipient through mobile money technology for the vast majority of our programs. They receive the funds directly to a SIM card and are able to cash out safely and securely at their local mobile money station/kiosk/store.
How much money will people receive?
The current transfer amount for basic income programs is ~$40 a month. Over time this has increased with inflation and our programs have been designed to account for inflation.
What is GiveDirectly?
GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. We have delivered cash aid to 2M people across 18 countries, including crises and natural disaster responses.
Where can I learn more about the basic income study in Kenya?
Since 2017, GiveDirectly has led the world’s largest and longest term study to date studying the effects of a Universal Basic Income. As part of this $30M project, we have distributed millions of dollars to 20,000 individuals living across 197 villages, and an additional 100 villages have been surveyed as a control group. Some individuals will receive payments for 12 years, and the full study will last at least that long.
Though the study is ongoing, the most recent results can be found here.