In addition to enrolling 31,000 new families and launching the world’s first long term, universal basic income study in 2016, GiveDirectly also released GDLive – a new way to receive unfiltered, unedited communication from cash transfer recipients.
This product is made possible by our end-to-end (donor to recipient’s door) operating model, in which we collect all information digitally. We’re placing that information online in real-time so you can hear directly from recipients and not us, forming a connection that is honest and transparent, built with respect for both donors and recipients.
Of course you can find “success stories” and pictures of poor people smiling anywhere. What hasn’t been done before is letting poor families speak for themselves, with no filter, about the things that are important to them, in real-time. We’re not editing or curating the feedback to make sure it’s happy, or fits a narrative. We’re letting it hit your screen the moment it hits our database. And in doing so, we hope to provide a platform for the under-heard to speak directly to those who can effect change.
Begin by following a few program participants to learn more about their ambitions, and use the search feature to better understand the impact your donations are having on recipient lives and communities.
We hope that it will both inspire and challenge you, and lead to some conversations you wouldn’t normally have.