Climate Disaster Recovery and Food Security (GiveDirectly Basic Income Program – Mozambique)
GiveDirectly ran a multi-year, unconditional basic-income-style cash transfer program for households in the Cyclone Idai-affected Gorongosa National Park buffer zone of Sofala Province, Mozambique. Eligible households received roughly $40/month (a poverty-line-calibrated amount) via mobile money for about two years, alongside SMS messaging on maternal and child nutrition. Funded primarily by USAID with matching donor contributions, the program targeted disaster recovery, food security, and resilience-building rather than being a purely emergency relief payout. As of GiveDirectly's current Mozambique program listing, this program is categorized as a past/completed program, distinct from GiveDirectly's newer active Mozambique programs (Geo-targeted Cash for the Ultra-Poor, Cash for Social Protection and Economic Inclusion, Cash for Youth and Conflict Resilience) and from separate one-off emergency cyclone relief transfers (e.g., Cyclone Freddy Emergency Relief).
Climate resilience, disaster recovery, mobile money, USAID-funded, poverty-line calibrated, Cyclone Idai recovery, Sofala Province, Gorongosa buffer zone
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- GiveDirectly
- City
- New York
- State / Province
- New York
- Country
- United States (org HQ); operates in Sofala Province, Mozambique
Contact
- Phone
- +1 646 504 4837
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Number of recipients
- 5,500
- Funding type
- Government, Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Total Amount
- 960
- Avg. Per Month
- 40
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Mobile Money
- Benefit details
Eligible households received approximately $40 USD-equivalent per month, delivered via mobile money (SIM-based mobile wallet, cashed out at local mobile money kiosks/agents), for approximately two years. The transfer amount was calibrated to lift recipients above the local extreme poverty line. The cash program was paired with two-way SMS messaging promoting maternal, newborn, and child nutrition practices, though the cash itself was unconditional.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Households were selected via geo-targeting of extremely poor, disaster-affected communities in the Gorongosa National Park buffer zone of Sofala Province, an area severely impacted by Cyclone Idai (2019). GiveDirectly field staff enrolled eligible households door-to-door within targeted villages identified using poverty data; no individual application was required.
Demographics
- Language
- Portuguese (national language), local languages used in-field
Housing
- Housing status
- Displaced
Financial
- Banked status
- Unbanked, Underbanked
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Citizen
Geography
- Countries covered
- Mozambique
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Complementary program enrollment required
- SMS-based maternal, newborn, and child nutrition messaging (Cash+ nutrition behavior-change component)
- Research / participation requirements
The program incorporated monitoring and evaluation typical of GiveDirectly cash transfer programs; recipients were not required to participate in research beyond standard program M&E, though GiveDirectly and USAID have published outcome data from the program.
Application Process
- How to apply
No public application process; GiveDirectly field staff conducted door-to-door, in-person enrollment of eligible households within pre-identified villages in the target disaster-affected region (Gorongosa buffer zone, Sofala Province). There was no self-service application portal.
- Selection process
Villages/communities were selected using geo-targeting based on poverty data and disaster-impact assessment (areas affected by Cyclone Idai). Within selected villages, GiveDirectly staff enrolled eligible households directly rather than through a competitive application or lottery.
