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Grace Adams

These stories of people directly affected by the aid freeze need to be told.

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.

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:

Founders Pledge/TLYCS Rapid Response Fund

 (though note that we haven’t evaluated this fund and don’t know how it compares to GiveWell.)

 about how we think about where to donate given the crisis.

Grace Adams & the Giving What We Can Team

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

What motivated you to take a pledge with Giving What We Can?

🔸 Pledge Stories: 10% Pledge in Practice

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

💻 Quarterly Review Coworking: Donations & Personal Finance Edition

Sunday, 6th April, 10.30 am GMT onward at 

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. 

 blogs, announcements, & news from Giving What We Can

 will be advising us on growing our community & reach; 

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 

Will MacAskill and Fin Moorhouse published a new paper 

, 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 

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 

Screenwriter, story editor & occasional comic Izzy, who is also a GWWC 

, 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 

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.

’ 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.

Senior Researcher for the Animal Welfare Department

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.”

the USAID and PMI cuts are affecting malaria programs

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!

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.

first ever deworming treatment for preschool children

 treatment was available for preschool-aged children, leaving millions at risk from malnutrition, anaemia, stunted growth, and cognitive impairment.

the current landscape of malaria bednet programs

promising interventions in maternal and neonatal health

 for funders and organisations in the global health space.

 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.

 published two new blog posts on biosecurity:

, 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. 

how they are responding to the funding freeze and what donors can do to help

arms from fishing with insecticide-treated nets

 to help build its research team, a revised 

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

updates on its Effective Giving and Careers program

 for effective giving organisations. Current grantees from this program include Giving What We Can, Effektiv Spenden in Germany and Doneer Effectief in the Netherlands.

 to lead its people strategy as it grows its giving and its 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. 

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 

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

research associate and/or senior researcher

 to help guide climate philanthropy toward the highest-impact solutions.

Contract support for two new projects focused on 

research on the climate philanthropy landscape

 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 

This month's featured social post from our community

 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!

 and stay connected with us for more news and updates.

Do you have any feedback on our newsletter or communications? 

 with Giving What We Can and effective giving.

Do you have questions about the pledge, Giving What We Can, or effective giving in general? Check out our 

Alana Horowitz Friedman

How to leverage cosmopolitanism as an antidote to hypernationalism

What's the antidote to hypernationalism?

Things are pretty tense right now in the U.S. And that might be the euphemism of the century.

We’ve got systems being dismantled left and right (though mostly left – quick bad joke, sorry!) and a divided populace with feelings ranging from excitement & hope, to confusion & denial, to righteous indignation & anger.

Many of us in the despair or avoidance camps are looking anywhere we can for the antidote to the hypernationalism that has gripped the nation. If my own behaviour is any indication, I apparently hope to find it in my Netflix account, and while that may sound dark, I do think that reaffirming joy, thought leadership, and compassion through a well-told story isn’t the 

That said, there’s another important antidote to hypernationalism that is very much needed right now: cosmopolitanism. (No, this has nothing to do with the drink – though if you want to enjoy a cosmopolitan with your Netflix affirmations, I’m happy to endorse that.)

So what is cosmopolitanism and how does it stand up to hypernationalism? More importantly, what can ordinary people do to help seed this important value? Let’s dive in.

Nationalism means identifying, quite strongly, with one’s own nation. This often equates to pursuing the nation’s interests above all else, and without much regard for the interests of neighboring nations. Hypernationalism takes this to an extreme – often to the detriment of other interests. It carries with it the ideas of superiority and separatism – advancing the perspective that one’s own nation is the best and only one in view, along with an unwillingness to identify shared interests and goals that might transcend national boundaries.

Cosmopolitanism, in contrast, is all about transcending national boundaries. In Greek, the word 

from which the term cosmopolitanism derives, literally means "citizen of the world.” And indeed, the idea behind cosmopolitanism is that all humans, regardless of their physical location or other ties, are part of one global community. This carries with it the idea that each of us are partially responsible for the well-being of others, and questions the preference to help only those who happen – through accident of birth – to be part of our local neighborhood, city, or country.

What happens when we approach reality with only a hypernationalistic perspective? The view that everyone should fend for themselves, regardless of their starting point, is normalised and justified. Whether you (or your country) started as a billionaire or a pauper, you’re on your own. There are no wins that transcend national boundaries – if I help you, that’s a loss for me. In other words, everything is very much a zero sum game.

In this zero sum game, common goals (like advancing human rights, mitigating climate change, or ending world hunger) get deprioritised. A poignant example is Trump’s statement that the Paris Accord – meant to be a symbol of international cooperation to achieve a common goal – was 

 because the U.S.’s emission reduction targets were more aggressive than China’s.

Another example is the stance on Ukraine, which, in the administration’s eyes, 

now owes the U.S. for helping out and needs to repay them by ceding a portion of its mineral resources

. The U.S. has paused the aid and intelligence it was previously providing, and there has been an increase in attacks and civilian casualties. In fact, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, “

casualty numbers have been higher so far in 2025 than in 2024

From a hypernationalistic worldview, there’s nothing wrong here – except that Ukraine has yet to pay its “debt”. An increase in casualties that the U.S. could have potentially prevented isn’t the U.S.’s fault. Why not? Because the U.S. doesn’t owe Ukraine anything – it would be a sign of weakness, or stupidity – a “bad deal” – to help just for the sake of saving Ukrainian lives. If they were American lives, that might be another story.

Possibly, this sounds uncharitable. Sadly, I don’t think it is, given that many people voice similar perspectives when hearing about the results of the USAID freeze. Logically, if you believe those around you should come first, “not my responsibility” is a remarkably easy stance to defend. (“Why should we send aid over there when people are suffering here?”) This stance only becomes repugnant when you acknowledge that the lives outside of your own borders matter too, and that caring for “our own” and caring “for others” aren’t mutually exclusive.

On that note, what would happen if these two situations were approached with a cosmopolitan perspective? Here’s my best guess. (Though this piece is intended for a global audience, I’ll use “we” in place of “the U.S.” to better personify the worldview.)

The Paris Accord would no longer be a “rip-off”

Under a cosmopolitan worldview, we’d feel good about curbing our emissions to a greater extent than China because we’d acknowledge that a rapid emissions scale-down in China would likely lead to an increase in poverty and suffering among its citizens. We’d want to prevent this because – even though these aren’t American lives – we’d feel that people are people, and that everyone deserves to live with dignity. We’d acknowledge that curbing our emissions would help facilitate a 

transition to clean energy, with the aim of avoiding massive food shortages, deaths from severe weather, biodiversity loss, and other ill effects of climate change that could cause high levels of suffering all around the world.

Under this worldview, the U.S. is part of a larger, global project – a “citizen” of the world – and we’d feel responsible and motivated to do what we could to protect 

 the world’s citizens, ourselves included.

We’d view aid as an opportunity, not a loss

We wouldn’t pause aid to Ukraine, and we wouldn’t have dismantled USAID. We’d feel a moral obligation to help those in need, even if they weren’t inside the borders of our own country, especially since we could do so at little cost – the U.S. was spending 

0.24% of gross national income on aid and saving 

We’d acknowledge that some country’s governments don’t have the infrastructure in place to provide life-saving services to all of their citizens, and we’d want to do what we could to ensure citizens received the services they needed. We’d do this because we’d view our fellow humans (who extend far beyond the borders of our own country) as equally deserving of a good life, regardless of where they happened to be born and with what resources. Because of this, we’d also likely increase our aid budget well beyond the 

Some other notable consequences of a cosmopolitan worldview:

a vastly different stance on immigration, one that didn’t portray immigrants as external threats to American safety & security. Under a cosmopolitan worldview, it would be much more difficult to garner political support with the 

”immigrants are criminals infiltrating our country” rhetoric

 that was a hallmark of the recent Trump campaign.

a vastly different stance on DEI, if this 

At this point, you might be feeling a bit sceptical. Sure, cosmopolitanism sounds great and all, but the odds of the Trump administration suddenly adopting a cosmopolitan mindset are next to zero. It would be similarly unlikely for the portion of the U.S. populace who resonates with hypernationalism to suddenly expand their moral circle of concern. So what’s the point of talking about it as an “antidote”?

I think the point is that, like it or not, trends in the national and global conversations do eventually affect public perception. This doesn’t happen quickly, but it does happen. So when these trends have a hypernationalist current, we need to make sure it doesn’t carry us, against our will, to places we don’t want to go. In other words, I don’t think leaning into cosmopolitanism is likely to convince hypernationalists to do the same, but I do think it’s likely to slow the tide of change, so to speak, guarding against any broader, unconscious shifts towards the nationalist mindset.

I see your hypernationalism, and I raise you … hyper cosmopolitanism! If this wasn’t such a mouthful, it could be my new mantra.

Imagine a world where people went out of their way to look after others, without worrying or wondering what would be in it for them. Imagine using cosmopolitanism as a form of 

 to restore some balance to the way people are currently behaving, and to the global conversation as a whole.

In the same way that we might attempt to “counter hate with love” or “counter alternative facts with science,” in this world of hypernationalism, let’s lean 

into cosmopolitanism than we might do otherwise.

Admittedly, I’ve always leaned somewhat into cosmopolitanism, believing that everyone deserves to live a good life, and that it’s unfair that some people are born into relative privilege while others have to fight to live past the age of 5. This was part of what motivated me, long before I started working there, to take 

 to “give what I can” to highly-effective charities like those that are tackling the preventable diseases that were 

 the aid freeze and are likely to kill more now that 

42% of the global humanitarian aid tracked by the UN

But this year, it feels even more necessary – both from an ideals perspective & from a practical perspective.

If this resonates with you, check out Giving What We Can’s 10% Pledge: it's a public commitment to donate a portion of income to the charities you believe can best use it to improve the lives of others.  (The Trial Pledge is a great option for those 

 but who want to pledge a lower percentage of income.)

By the way, if it seems ridiculous that individuals could ever do enough to make a concrete difference, consider that the team at Longview Philanthropy did some recent research which suggests that if those earning at least 

 gave 10% of their income to highly-effective interventions, we could in two years:

💧 provide clean water and sanitation for all

🌎 build the systems we need to prevent pandemics.

Also consider that it costs only around $5 to buy and distribute a malaria net to help protect a household from a disease that kills around 600,000 people – mostly children – per year.

You might wonder why the burden of funding life-saving programs should rest on individuals. That’s a fair question. In an ideal world, governments would take care of this. But in the absence of that world – we have two options: do nothing because it’s not fair and it’s “a bad deal” for us (sound familiar?) or step up and do what we can because we care.

For me, leaning into cosmopolitanism means doing the latter. Yes, it’s not fair that things are the way they are. But I prefer to see the opportunity to help change them – to help more people live a good, full, life – as an opportunity, not a burden. I choose to play a positive-sum game, where everyone benefits from spreading some resources around and increasing the number of flourishing, happy people in our global community.

I’m planning to attend my share of protests, call my reps, and do what I can in my local community. But one thing I really like about donating to evidence-based, life-saving programs overseas is that it transcends the borders (and the limits) of what is possible locally, especially right now.

Blog

March News: Some powerful stories to cut through the noise

What's the antidote to hypernationalism?

February newsletter: US aid freeze – how to help & where to donate

Adapting the Pledge to Your Goals & Values

Trump's WHO Withdrawal - Head in the Sand, or Time to Act?

January newsletter: Some incredible projects we funded together

December news: Wrapping Up 2024

From ideals to impact: Jacob Bauer on how writing his book changed his approach to giving

Beyond the dichotomy: Perspectives on direct work and effective giving

Where are the GWWC team donating this year?