Ingredients:
We’ve done the research.
Above are 4 nonprofits (and related programs) that support important causes and offer the most impact per dollar. (Scroll down to read about them in Ingredient Descriptions.)
In this recipe, we’ve only included recipes endorsed by Givewell and SoGive, two first-rate non-profit organizations that conduct independent and rigorous research on the impact and cost-effectiveness of charities around the world.
Instructions:
Malaria Consortium seeks to improve health in Africa and Asia through distributing antimalarial drugs to children to prevent illness and death from malaria. Givewell estimates that out of four possible months of treatment, 93% of targeted children received at least one month, 81% received at least two months, 70% received at least three months, and 56% received all four months.
Evidence Action’s Deworm the World Initiative supports and evaluates government-run school-based deworming programs. The initiative sends monitors to schools during and after deworming to determine if the programs reach a large proportion of children targeted. GiveWell estimates that in Kenya, the cost per child dewormed is about $0.66 per child, and roughly half of that for children treated in India.
Evidence Action’s Dispensers For Safe Water program installs and maintains chlorine dispensers at rural water collection sites in Uganda, Malawi, and Kenya. This is to prevent contraction of diarrhea from contaminated water — a leading cause of death for children under the age of five living in low-income environments. Givewell estimates that chlorine dispensers reduce mortality by 6% in children under five, and that 27% of the program’s benefit averted 25% and 27% of developmental effects and medical costs, respectively.
SightSavers aims to support people with impaired vision and prevent avoidable blindness. Givewell specifically advocates for their deworming programs, given the possibility of strong benefits at low cost. Excluding drugs and government contributions, they estimate that Sightsavers' cost per child dewormed is $0.36.
GiveDirectly directly transfers cash to households in developing countries via mobile phone-linked payment services, with an emphasis on extremely low-income households and those affected by humanitarian crises. GiveWell argues that this approach offers a low burden of proof, and estimates that the proportion of total expenses that GiveDirectly has delivered directly to recipients is approximately 83% overall.