$150m delivered in GiveDirectly’s decade-long disruptive test of cash aid in Rwanda

A Business Insights Africa | Analysis

KIGALI, Oct. 18 — GiveDirectly says it has delivered more than $150 million directly to families during a decade in Rwanda. Its next challenge is more demanding than moving money: demonstrating that cash can help households escape poverty and stay out.

The nonprofit marked its anniversary on Friday, reporting support for nearly 250,000 households since 2016. Its #AcceleratingChange campaign puts recipient choice at the centre of an approach that challenges conventional aid. It gives Rwandans resources and lets them decide what matters most.

“Today, we are confident that cash works, and curious about how much more it can achieve for Rwandans in need in the future,” Country Director Gloria Ngabire said during the organisation’s anniversary event this week.

That confidence has a research foundation. A meta-analysis covering 115 studies from 72 randomised evaluations in 34 countries found benefits across several economic and social outcomes. However, the evidence does not show that transfers alone can eliminate poverty nationwide. 

Rwanda’s national poverty rate reportedly fell to 27.4% in 2024 from an estimated 39.8% in 2017, according to official statistics using an updated, comparable methodology. The decline reflects a wider national effort that is not a measure of GiveDirectly’s impact alone. 

According to the organisation’s leadership, GiveDirectly’s attraction lies partly in flexibility. One household can pay medical bills while another buys farmland, repairs its home or starts trading. Electronic payments offer a channel for expanding delivery to families with different needs.

“GiveDirectly was founded on a simple but radical belief that people living in poverty can be trusted to make their own decisions and invest in what matters most to them,” Vice President of Programmes Lydiah Wangechi said.

Ngabire had reminded stakeholders during the anniversary celebrations that the one-off transfer of Rwf750,000 per adult had emerged as the most effective approach the organisation tested in Rwanda.

Research in Rwanda illustrates why transfer size matters. An experimental comparison with a nutrition programme found that a larger cash transfer improved consumption and investment and produced modest gains in dietary diversity and child growth. Smaller, cost-equivalent assistance did not improve core child outcomes within a year. 

GiveDirectly is also testing whether digital inclusion can strengthen those gains. In Rwanda, an optional, AI-powered chatbot lets recipients explore business ideas, seek practical information, and ask programme questions. The organisation recorded more than 21,000 interactions from 832 recipients between November 2025 and April 2026. Pairing cash with information beyond scheduled training sessions challenges conventional aid delivery. Whether the chatbot improves economic outcomes remains under evaluation, with language, connectivity and accuracy among the constraints. 

In the US, ‘Fast Company’ named GiveDirectly among its most innovative nonprofits of 2026, recognising its rapid response to interrupted US food benefits. That recognition highlights delivery innovation, as shown by its use of technology in Rwanda's poverty-eradication drive. 

Ngabire outlined three priorities for the future during her celebration closing remarks. Greater scale and depth of support, measurement through government systems and tracking wider economic returns.

Already, GiveDirectly is in a five-year partnership with the government of Rwanda to mobilise resources and reduce poverty by 25% across five vulnerable districts (Gisagara, Nyamagabe, Nyanza, Nyamasheke and Rusizi). Delivering that ambition requires sustained financing, clear targeting, and evidence that separates programme effects from broader economic changes.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Local Government Dominique Habimana described social protection as “a strategic investment in hope, opportunity and social justice.”

“Through our partnership with GiveDirectly, we aim to help households move towards productivity and independence, strengthening the support they receive while preserving their freedom to decide how best to use their transfers,” Habimana said.

Recipient spending can generate demand for local traders, farmers and transport operators. Whether that demand produces lasting jobs and higher productivity requires measurement.

GiveDirectly believes a poverty-free Rwanda remains an achievable ambition. While cash can remove an immediate financial constraint, lasting progress depends on healthcare, markets, employment and protection against shocks.

The decisive anniversary measure will emerge later and will depend on how many families remain financially secure years after their transfers arrive.

Read the full GiveDirectly Rwanda Press Release here