Christopher Santiago, 38, hangs out at home in Alsip, Ill., with one of his three children, 9-year-old Calliope. He says Cook County's basic income program has let him provide more for his kids. Taylor Glascock for NPR hide caption
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A 2017 meeting of a rotating savings club formed in a village near Lake Victoria soon after every adult there was chosen to receive a monthly through GiveDirectly's experiment. The clubs have enabled recipients to convert their grants into lump sum payments: Each month the members put $10 into the communual pot — for a total of $100 — and a different person takes it home. Nichole Sobecki for NPR hide caption
It's one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in
Nastia Stefanovich, a volunteer at the distribution center in Lviv for goods donated for Ukrainians in need, points out the piles of clothes that have been arriving. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption
Donated clothes help in Ukraine. But there's one thing aid experts like better
Workers from the garment sector block a road during a protest to demand payment of due wages, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in April 2020. They claimed that factories had not paid them after retailers and brands cancelled orders due to worldwide lockdown measures. Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Eric Dossekpli, 49, is a farmer and father of six in the town of Anfoin Avele,Togo. He says he can no longer sell his crops as a result of the pandemic. Floriane Acouetey hide caption
The Pandemic Pushed This Farmer Into Deep Poverty. Then Something Amazing Happened
A municipal worker in Karachi hands out bags of food — part of government efforts to help those who've lost their livelihood during Pakistan's lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Denis Otieno and his daughter plant a cypress sapling purchased with money received from the charity GiveDirectly back in 2017. More recently, the charity teamed up with researchers to study the impact of cash grants on the wider community. Nichole Sobecki for NPR hide caption
Researchers Find A Remarkable Ripple Effect When You Give Cash To Poor Families
Mary Abagi on her farm. She used the payout from her merry-go-round savings club to buy a goat. Nichole Sobecki/for NPR hide caption
How To Buy A Goat When You're Really Poor? Join A 'Merry-Go-Round'
Likezo Nasilele and her husband, Chipopa Lyoni, with one of their four children in the courtyard of their home in rural Zambia. They were one of hundreds of families who received regular cash payouts as part of a government experiment. Nurith Aizenman/NPR hide caption