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Surbhi Bharadwaj

Faiz Surani

GWWC Team

The effects of foreign aid and international donations can feel distant and unknowable. However, a lot has been achieved through international charity, including the eradication of diseases and the lifting of billions out of extreme poverty.

Can foreign aid and international charity make a difference?

This article is part of a series addressing 

The effects of foreign aid and international donations can often feel distant and unknowable. However, a lot has been achieved through international charity, including the eradication of diseases and the lifting of billions out of extreme poverty.

People are often skeptical of foreign aid and international giving, perhaps because they have been aware of problems like global poverty for a long time and haven't observed much improvement. However, the lack of progress may not indicate that foreign aid doesn't work, but rather that there isn't enough of it. Foreign aid receives far less government funding than people think, 

. The funding that aid does receive is not always directed to the most effective interventions.

While not every single aid program works as intended, the widespread skepticism of aid isn't warranted. The truth is: foreign aid not only works, but is behind some of humanity's greatest successes. Foreign aid benefits all of us, but especially those in greatest need.

Despite being underfunded, a lot has been achieved by aid across the world. For example:

 following a World Health Organisation (WHO) 

 launched in 1966. A highly contagious disease, it accounted for nearly 

 in the 20th century. The international effort, which supplied endemic countries with vaccines and testing kits, 

 and eradicated smallpox from the entire world, with the last case being reported in 1977.

Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasitic disease, is likely to be eradicated in the next few years thanks primarily to the efforts of the Carter Center, the WHO, and UNICEF. 

, the number of cases per year fell from 3.5 million to just 27. It is expected to be the first parasitic disease to be eradicated.

 against polio, an infectious disease that causes paralysis in children under the age of five, has led to a drastic fall in cases. There were 350,000 cases in 1988 and less than 175 in 2019. The 

 coordinates work across the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF. It sources 

Research suggests that, from 2000--2015, aid in the form of anti-malarial interventions have prevented about 663 million malarial fevers. There were 262 million cases of malaria in 2000, and 

 in 2015. Long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets are particularly effective; they are responsible for about 68% of the malaria reduction, or about 450 million cases of malaria. The animated images below show the increase in bednets from 2000--2015, along with the associated decrease in malaria cases. Learn more on our 

How much is spent on foreign aid and international charity?

 to international charities in 2018. In relative terms, these are tiny amounts. Compare them to the median annual revenue of a Fortune 500 company ($5.6 billion USD) and the 2019 GDP of the U.S. (

). Even the U.S.'s miniscule spending on foreign aid has helped us make 

. Just think what we could achieve if we gave more, especially if we gave to the most effective programs!

Instead of pressuring governments to cut foreign aid spending, we should pressure them to be more transparent about their activities and impact, and to direct funds to the most effective programs. Just as we seek to fix problems that arise in domestic agencies instead of simply cutting their funding, we should seek to improve foreign aid, not end it.

You can help alleviate suffering around the world by donating to our 

 of like-minded people who are working to make the world a better place.

Common Concerns About Donating to Charity

Felix Werdermann

From journalist to management consultant — that's an unusual path, and many of my friends certainly didn't expect it. Even I would have thought it impossible a few years ago. Now I have my first full calendar year as a consultant behind me and would like to share how I try to improve the world through my work.

Doing Good as a Consultant

The job gives me the opportunity to donate a significant portion of my salary to charitable organizations - last year, for example, more than 20,000 U.S. dollars (17,000 euros). This allows other people to work with full dedication to make the world a better place for all of us. In this text, I would like to show that you can do an extremely great deal of good as a management consultant - and thus also encourage others to become active.

First of all, my way is by no means the only way, nor is it the best way for everyone to do good. Voluntary commitment or direct work in non-profit organizations or in the political sphere (including journalism) are extremely valuable. I, too, participate in actions against nuclear weapons in my free time, for example. But many non-profit organizations also or especially lack the financial resources to expand their activities and achieve even more.

So for many years now, I've been donating the money I don't need for myself (this includes saving for the future in addition to my current expenses). Almost four years ago, I signed a public 

" to donate at least one tenth of my income to particularly effective organizations (during my studies one percent). Being born in Germany, I am in a very privileged situation and even if I donate one tenth of my income now, I am still part of the 

As for many of us, the year 2020 was not easy for me. But at least in terms of my giving, it was more successful than any previous one. Because of my work at a consultancy firm, my salary is significantly higher than in the past and I was able to donate a total of more than $20,000 (17,000 euros) last year. There is even a term for this strategy: 

The money went primarily to organizations working to end factory farming. Why? Today's animal suffering is gigantic: 

 animals are killed every year, almost all of them suffer in factory farming under cruel conditions. While many people care about their pets; chickens, pigs or fish hardly get any attention. Industrial animal farming also contributes significantly to 

Which animal welfare organizations achieve the most with additional donations? That's what 

) is trying to find out. Every year, this independent evaluation institution analyzes the work of various organizations and develops recommendations. Last year, I donated $10,000 to the most effective animal advocacy organizations worldwide according to ACE. I think the money is especially needed in the Global South.

). This institute is committed to the research and development of cultured meat ("clean meat") and plant-based products. Only through tasty and cost-effective alternatives to animal meat, it will be possible to change consumer behavior in the long term. I am particularly pleased that the Good Food Institute is active worldwide.

My two major donations were even doubled by the "

" campaign. Successful poker players and other high earners add the same amount to donations to particularly effective organizations. Thanks to the website 

, I can also deduct my donations from my taxes in Germany, which means that I have more money to donate this year.

In addition to these two large donations, I have supported many other organizations with smaller amounts. For this year, I plan to donate a larger sum to the worldwide work of the 

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

), because I consider these weapons of mass destruction to be an underestimated danger. At the moment I am looking for possibilities to donate tax-exempt from Germany to this work.

Now I have written a lot about myself. What can you do? A few suggestions:

Think about how you do the most good. The principles of 

 can help: Where can you improve the lives of as many people or other sentient beings as possible? What cause area is being neglected?

Make your donations public to inspire others, for example by taking a Giving What We Can 

Volunteer for a good cause in your spare time.

Keep yourself informed and talk to friends.

If I can help in any way, please feel free to 

This post was contributed by one of our members, Felix Werdermann. It was originally published in 

 on March 10, 2021. Translated with the help of 

A common criticism of giving aid to low-income countries is that the money gets siphoned off by corrupt local officials before it can do any good.

Corruption can interfere with aid. However, by donating through reliable and effective charities, it is possible to make a big difference through charitable giving, even in areas where corruption is widespread.

Does corruption in recipient governments interfere with foreign aid?

A common criticism of giving aid to low-income countries is that the money gets siphoned off by corrupt local officials before it can do any good. Indeed, corruption is a big problem in many countries, and it can sometimes lead to aid money being diverted from its intended purpose. However, by donating through reliable and effective charities, it is possible to 

 through charitable giving, even in areas where corruption is widespread.

No one can deny that corruption has sometimes prevented aid money from achieving its intended goal. But the solution is not giving less, but giving "smarter."

One way to reduce the danger of corruption is to donate to programs which do not deal in valuable goods which officials could divert. Another is to give to charities that reliably monitor the impact of their programs, ensuring that their work is actually improving lives, rather than lining a few pockets. For example, the 

 (AMF) is particularly careful to avoid and discourage corruption while carrying out its distributions. You can learn more about AMF and similarly reliable charities through charity evaluators like 

Even many governmental aid programs, which have historically attracted significant criticism for corruption and fraud, now have measures in place to ensure that aid money goes where it is most needed. Done right, foreign aid can actually be used to 

 local institutions to become less corrupt and serve their communities more effectively. Instead of pressuring governments to cut foreign aid spending, we should pressure them to be 

 and impact, so that funds are directed to the most effective programs.

, we can make a positive impact in low- and middle-income countries. 

A common criticism of giving aid to low-income countries is that the money gets siphoned off by corrupt local officials before it can do any good.

Corruption can interfere with aid. However, by donating through reliable and effective charities, it is possible to make a big difference through charitable giving, even in areas where corruption is widespread.

Luke Freeman

March 2021 Newsletter

Ways you can help advocate for causes you care about

In an effort to better understand our members, we are collaborating with researchers from Yale University's Mind and Development Lab. If you have taken one of our giving pledges, we would really appreciate you answering a ~15-minute survey about your beliefs and attitudes. Your responses may help us to recruit new members and raise more for effective charities.

Have questions about the study? Contact the study lead, Matti Wilks, at 

Why do people pledge to give effectively?

"I didn't know that giving can actually work. Once I learned about that, the realisation fell into place that there was nothing more useful I could possibly be doing with that money." - 

"I'm usually motivated by the idea that there is someone out there who has been spared from having something terrible happen to them because an action that I took. Or an animal has been spared from having to come into existence and live a life full of suffering. Or I have taken some kind of action to help build an amazing future for sentient life." - 

"I live a pretty great life with plenty of food and medicine and friends and I'd like more people to have that too. Pretty crazy that we live in a world where people are dying of hunger and diseases that we collectively have the wealth to fix. Hope my money helps get us a little closer to a world where everyone is having a great time. Happy to be helping!" - 

Thanks to those who replied to our last newsletter to tell us why you're motivated to use a portion of your income to help others.

Come along and meet other people who are committed to effectively using their resources to improve the world:

Law + Effective Altruism: How can we do good better

What does it take to be a charity founder?

World Malaria Day: How can we eradicate malaria?

If you have any questions or want to discuss your donation decisions with other members or our team, we recommend registering for an Open Forum event. 

A post shared by Giving What We Can (@giving_what_we_can)

Want to work with us? Applications close on March 31 for our 

," Julian Hazell and David Holmes compare a few of the most commonly used measures of wealth and point out some of the subtleties that can arise in the study of wealth distribution.

" Julian Hazell explains how donating helps others, ourselves, and makes the world a fairer place.

, in which Carlos Tkacz explains how his giving philosophy was shaped by his education, rock climbing experience, and religious upbringing.

Do you work in the personal finance industry (e.g., as a wealth manager, financial advisor, accountant, etc.)? We'd love to speak with you about how we can best help our members to donate effectively, and about spreading effective giving ideas within your industry. Please reply to let us know.

 so we can reach 1000 subscribers and unlock more features.

 you can use to spread the word, and our 

Find other Giving What We Can members and create your own profile on the new and improved 

 (Australia, New Zealand, and online) using the code EFFECTIVE20.

Marcus Daniell was interviewed on Hear This Idea

 about High Impact Athletes and his advocacy for effective giving.

CEA's Ben West published three new posts on retention in the effective altruism community. He covers the 

 compared to those of other social groups.

Need to focus while working from home? Join the 

. Want to run or participate in a reading group with the GWWC community? Simply reply to let us know.

: Jeff Kauffman was asked by a friend whether there was some amount of donations that would be "enough." His response is enlightening.

," Jonas Vollmer helps clarify common misconceptions about Effective Altruism Funds.

Are you on Clubhouse? We invite you to join the 

 clubs to discuss effective giving and effective altruism.

 is a good guide to staying motivated and doing good sustainably.

Thanks to those of you who participated in Project4Awesome and helped 

plant-based meat industry grew exponentially

 has been launched, a coalition of advocacy organisations and a project of the Aquatic Life Institute.

The next frontier for animal welfare is fish

 advocacy -- Vox's Kenny Torrella explains why.

One of the biggest animal welfare successes of the past six years is the transition to cage-free eggs, demonstrated in 

one idea Bill Gates hopes people will take away

 from his new book on how to combat climate change?

Our World in Data's Hannah Ritchie looks at the 

history of deforestation and whether it can be reversed

A new paper from the team at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk assesses the risks posed by 

Malaria is notoriously hard to vaccinate against. 

A new vaccine technology might change that

Our World in Data's Max Roser writes about 

why economic growth should be a key focus if we want global poverty to decline

Open Philanthropy provided $70 million in grants to GiveWell's top charities in 2020. 

How has Covid-19 impacted the fight against malaria?

Blog

Can foreign aid and international charity make a difference?

Doing Good as a Consultant

Does corruption in recipient governments interfere with foreign aid?

March 2021 Newsletter

Can an individual donor really make a difference?

Member Profile: Carlos Tkacz

Measuring global inequality: Median income, GDP per capita, and the Gini Index

Why should we donate money to charity?

February 2021 Newsletter

My journey to help fight suffering