March News: Some powerful stories to cut through the noise

The New York Times recently published a fantastic, yet heartbreaking piece titled Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True. and I’d highly recommend you read it.

I think it really cuts to the core of how devastating the impacts of the foreign development cuts are – right now, and worsening each day.

Peter Donne, a 10-year-old infected with HIV from his mother during childbirth, died in late February because he couldn’t get his medicine after the PEPFAR outreach program ended.

Achol Deng, age 8, was also kept alive because of US assistance with HIV prevention and treatment. In January, she lost the ID card that enabled her to get medicines and couldn’t get a new one. She’s now deceased.

“You never forget the sight of children starving to death,” writes Nicholas Kristof, who wrote the piece after nine days in East Africa, where he met with some of the people and villages who are directly affected.

Along with Peter & Achol’s story, he tells so many others — a 35-year-old single mom and her 5-year-old son, a 2-year-old crying from hunger and getting only water in response, an 18-year-old soon-to-be-mom who no longer has a clinic where she can give birth.

I know we often focus on data and numbers at Giving What We Can. I’m repeating these stories here because they help us understand what the numbers mean.

In his article, Kristof estimates how many others will end up with stories similar to Peter, Alcohol, and all those who have so far died from the withdrawal of aid. While the estimates are rough and don’t factor in other countries & organisations stepping up to fill some of the gaps, the total was over 3 million.

If you want to give effectively to help soften the impacts of these aid cuts, here’s what we recommend:

• GiveWell’s All Grants Fund
• GiveWell’s Top Charities Fund
• Founders Pledge/TLYCS Rapid Response Fund (though note that we haven’t evaluated this fund and don’t know how it compares to GiveWell.)

Here's some more information about how we think about where to donate given the crisis.

With gratitude,

Grace Adams & the Giving What We Can Team

Motivations for Pledging

Here are some of our favourite responses from people who took a pledge last month:

Upcoming Events

Two upcoming events from GWWC London:

🔸 Pledge Stories: 10% Pledge in Practice

Wednesday, 2nd April, 6–8 pm GMT at 52 Old Castle Street, London

Join Chris and Emma for an evening of pledge stories and connecting with the effective giving community. Please register here!

💻 Quarterly Review Coworking: Donations & Personal Finance Edition

Sunday, 6th April, 10.30 am GMT onward at 34-35 Hatton Garden, London

Join Gemma for a self-directed coworking session, with the opportunity to chat about personal finance and donations. Past sessions have provided a space to work on EA side projects; applying for jobs, conferences, grants or programs; reviewing donations; goal setting and life/career planning. The day will consist of Pomodoro working sessions and breaks to chat, followed by a social at a nearby pub from 5.30 pm. Please RSVP here!

News & Updates

GWWC

New blogs, announcements, & news from Giving What We Can

• We welcomed three new staff members! Max Klijnstra will be advising us on growing our community & reach; Casey Yates & Patrick Allen have joined our operations team!
• We published a new blog: "What's the antidote to hypernationalism"?

Community

Highlights from our community & the wider effective giving ecosystem

• 10% Pledger and Our World in Data staffer Hannah Ritchie wrote a brilliant new article: For many of us, it doesn’t cost much to improve someone’s life, and we can do much more of it. Her piece puts into perspective how foreign aid is funded, and the scope for increasing aid funding –- from governments to private donors.
• 10% Pledger Hal Simonson has written a book about charitable giving strategies (DAFs, tax advantages, etc.) for Canadians and has included a chapter on effective altruism! You can read more about the book on his website.
• Will MacAskill and Fin Moorhouse published a new paper Preparing for the Intelligence Explosion, which discusses the “grand challenges” presented by a period of rapid technological progress, and sets the high-level agenda for the sort of work that the new AI research nonprofit Forethought is likely to focus on.
• We’ve had so many beautiful fundraisers come in lately! Here are two great ideas for inspiration:
  • Long-time 10% Pledger Dave is marrying animal lover Jess, and they have chosen to create a wedding fundraiser for the Animal Welfare Fund instead of wedding gifts!
  • Screenwriter, story editor & occasional comic Izzy, who is also a GWWC trial pledger, is using her birthday as a chance to raise awareness and make a difference in the face of the devastating cuts to global aid. Here’s her inspiring fundraiser for the Global Health and Wellbeing Fund.
  • 💡You can easily create your own fundraiser here!

Cause areas

Animal Welfare

• Faunalytics and Good Growth Co. published a new study exploring Gen Z’s attitudes toward animals, climate, and activism across the United States, Indonesia, Thailand, and China. Findings reveal strong preferences for eco-friendly products, skepticism about society’s efforts to protect animals and the environment, and a focus on companion and wild animals over farmed animals.
• Wild Animal Initiative's seminar series ‘Wild Animal Lives through a Welfare Lens’ wraps up this month but will begin a second iteration later this year. The hybrid, five-part series launched last fall in partnership with the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Veterinary College.
• The Humane League UK is hiring a Digital Fundraising Lead.
• Rethink Priorities:
  • is hiring a Senior Researcher for the Animal Welfare Department.
  • published research for animal advocates working on plant-based labelling laws that advises “advocates should oppose a federal ban on meat-like terminology, but not a federal requirement for clarificatory language.”

Global Health and Wellbeing

• Against Malaria Foundation (AMF)
  • Published a blog post about how the USAID and PMI cuts are affecting malaria programs.
  • Shared a significant donation matching opportunity for first-time recurring donors: Donors Mike and Helen Brown will match 1:1 the first six months of any new recurring donation, up to a total matching pot of £350,000!
  • Is hiring a Software Engineer (full stack web developer) in the UK.
• New Incentives announced plans to distribute free ORS & zinc co-packs, an effective diarrhoea treatment, to caregivers who bring their children to immunisation sessions, thanks to a recommended grant of up to $4.8 million from GiveWell.
• Unlimit Health announced the first ever deworming treatment for preschool children! Until now, no child-friendly schistosomiasis treatment was available for preschool-aged children, leaving millions at risk from malnutrition, anaemia, stunted growth, and cognitive impairment.
• Rethink Priorities published research reports on the current landscape of malaria bednet programs and promising interventions in maternal and neonatal health for funders and organisations in the global health space.
• The Happier Lives Institute have a chapter in the World Happiness Report on charities titled: Giving to others: How to convert your money into greater happiness for others which may be of interest to donors interested in measuring wellbeing.

Global Catastrophic Risk Reduction

• NTI/Bio published two new blog posts on biosecurity:
  • What is Biosecurity – Explained, which explicitly lays out how the organisation defines biosecurity.
  • Improving Biosecurity with a Three-legged Stool Approach, which focuses on the risks and benefits of AI in the life sciences and the need for technical solutions, collaboration, & governance to improve biosecurity in light of emerging technologies.
• In collaboration with the Ukrainian Parliament, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Future Generations has published a report on scenarios for the rebuilding and reconstruction of Ukraine. Read more and see the report here.

Evaluators, grantmakers and incubators

• GiveWell:
  • Shared how they are responding to the funding freeze and what donors can do to help.
  • Published an update on moral weights and an analysis of harms from fishing with insecticide-treated nets.
  • Is hiring a Talent Acquisition Specialist to help build its research team, a revised Senior Malaria Researcher role, and a Salesforce Administrator.
• Open Philanthropy:
  • Published a blog sharing highlights and updates from this year, as well as what’s ahead for 2025. Read it here: ‘Our Progress in 2024 and Plans for 2025
  • Published updates on its Effective Giving and Careers program and is requesting proposals for effective giving organisations. Current grantees from this program include Giving What We Can, Effektiv Spenden in Germany and Doneer Effectief in the Netherlands.
  • Is hiring for two roles:
    • A mission-driven Head of People to lead its people strategy as it grows its giving and its staff. Apply by 30th March.
    • A Chief of Staff to support its Biosecurity and Pandemic Preparedness Program Director in directing tens of millions of dollars annually toward initiatives that reduce catastrophic biological risks. Apply by 30th March.
• Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE):
  • Is now accepting applications for its 2025 Charity Evaluations. ACE will assess organisations for the likelihood of doing exceptionally cost-effective work to help animals. Charities that would like to be considered must fill out a preliminary application form by 6th April.
  • Published updates from the eleven organisations that received grants totalling $523,083 (USD) from ACE’s Recommended Charity Fund last July. Read about how these organisations used their grants to help animals.
• Giving Green is hiring:
  • A passionate, mission-driven research associate and/or senior researcher to help guide climate philanthropy toward the highest-impact solutions.
  • Contract support for two new projects focused on biodiversity and the climate landscape in Puerto Rico.
• Rethink Priorities published research on the climate philanthropy landscape.
• One for the World is hiring a full-time, remote Program Director in the continental US to help rapidly scale its flagship program. The initial application deadline is 13th April. Take a look at details about the role and organisation and apply here.

This month's featured social post from our community

We loved reading this thread by 10% Pledger Shakeel about what a powerful time of year it is for him to make his annual donations. This year, he has directed all of his donations to GiveWell. Since taking the pledge in 2022, based on GiveWell’s estimates, he has donated enough to save around 8 lives.

It’s always a joy to see our community sharing stories about what pledging means to them and spreading the word about effective giving. We are stronger together!

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Do you have questions about the pledge, Giving What We Can, or effective giving in general? Check out our FAQ page, or contact us directly.