GiveDirectly mobilizes Emergency Cash relief for Venezuela earthquake survivors. GiveDirectly raised $100,000 in 24 hours and is deploying a team to send cash directly to families hit hardest by Venezuela's June 24 earthquakes. NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, June 28, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - GiveDirectly, one of the largest and most trusted direct cash relief organizations in the world, is mobilizing an emergency cash response for families affected by the back-to-back earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026. GiveDirectly has launched a fundraiser at givedirectly.org/venezuela-earthquakes and is deploying an Emergency Cash team to the field this weekend. In its first 24 hours, the fundraiser raised more than $100,000. Over the past decade, GiveDirectly has delivered cash to more than 2 million people across 15 countries. Key facts: - The disaster: A magnitude 7.2 quake and a 7.5 mainshock struck northern Venezuela 39 seconds apart on June 24, 2026 - the strongest in more than a century. - The toll: More than 1,400 people killed and thousands injured, with the toll expected to rise, according to officials. - GiveDirectly's response: Deploying an Emergency Cash team to identify the highest-need communities and send cash directly to families. - Early support: More than $100,000 raised in the first 24 hours. - How to help: Donate at givedirectly.org/venezuela-earthquakes (English) or givedirectly.org/venezuela-es (Spanish). What Happened in Venezuela: On June 24, 2026, two major earthquakes struck northern Venezuela seconds apart - a magnitude 7.2 quake followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock, the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. The quakes collapsed hundreds of buildings across Caracas and La Guaira. More than 1,400 people have been killed and thousands more injured, and officials expect the toll to rise. The disaster struck a country where nearly 80% of people already live in poverty, many in unreinforced homes that crumble in earthquakes. What GiveDirectly Is Doing: GiveDirectly is deploying an Emergency Cash team to Venezuela this weekend to assess conditions and scope a cash response for the families most affected. GiveDirectly will use damage and poverty data to identify the highest-need communities, then enroll and pay families directly. Because GiveDirectly delivers cash digitally, it can reach families even when roads are damaged. The cash helps families cover urgent needs: - Food, water, and medicine - Shelter and temporary housing - Bills for phone, utilities, and healthcare for the injured "Families who survive a disaster know better than anyone what they need to recover," said Nick Allardice, President and CEO of GiveDirectly. "By sending money directly, we let the Venezuelans hit hardest by these earthquakes rebuild on their own terms - quickly and with dignity. We have delivered more than $1 billion to more than 2 million people across 15 countries, and we can reach families within weeks of a disaster." Anyone can help families affected by the Venezuela earthquakes by donating to GiveDirectly: - Donate in English: givedirectly.org/venezuela-earthquakes - Donate in Spanish (Dona en español): givedirectly.org/venezuela-es 100% of funds raised for this campaign go to GiveDirectly's Venezuela earthquake response. If GiveDirectly cannot deliver all funds to survivors, donations support the next emergency through its Emergency Response Fund. Donations are tax-deductible in the United States. GiveDirectly's Track Record in Disasters: GiveDirectly has a proven record of delivering cash quickly after major disasters: - 2023 earthquake in southern Turkey: cash to over 1,000 families across Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, and Sanliurfa, where 94% reported their homes destroyed or damaged. - Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica (2025): $650 transfers to more than 2,500 people in St. Elizabeth Parish after the first Category 5 hurricane ever to strike Jamaica destroyed an estimated 90% of homes in the region. - Los Angeles wildfires (2025): partnered with Propel to deliver $3,500 transfers to over 1,000 families, enrolled fully remotely with no extra paperwork. - Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024): used SKAI, a Google-developed AI tool, to find the hardest-hit, lowest-income households, then sent $1,000 to over 1,600 families within days. Frequently Asked Questions: How can I help Venezuela earthquake survivors? Donate to GiveDirectly at givedirectly.org/venezuela-earthquakes (English) or givedirectly.org/venezuela-es (Spanish). GiveDirectly sends cash directly to affected families. Donations are tax-deductible in the United States. What is GiveDirectly doing about the Venezuela earthquakes? GiveDirectly is deploying an Emergency Cash team to Venezuela and using damage and poverty data to identify the highest-need communities, then paying families directly through digital transfers. Why does GiveDirectly give cash instead of supplies? Cash lets families meet their own needs instead of having others guess for them, and people affected by disasters consistently say they prefer cash over donated goods. It is also fast and fully remote. How much of my donation reaches Venezuelan families? 100% of funds raised for this campaign go to the Venezuela earthquake response. If GiveDirectly cannot deliver all funds, they support survivors of the next emergency. How fast does GiveDirectly deliver cash after a disaster? In past emergencies, GiveDirectly has delivered cash to families within two to three weeks. Is GiveDirectly a trusted charity? Yes. GiveDirectly is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009. It pioneered direct cash transfers, publishes independent research on its impact, and has been recognized by Fast Company, Forbes, and Inc. as one of the world's most innovative organizations. About GiveDirectly: GiveDirectly is one of the largest and most trusted direct cash relief organizations in the world. Founded in 2009, GiveDirectly lets donors send money directly to people living in poverty, with no strings attached. Over the past decade, it has delivered cash to more than 2 million people across 15 countries. GiveDirectly works in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, and the United States. GiveDirectly is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 27-1661997). Learn more at givedirectly.org. Media Contact: GiveDirectly Press Team [email protected] givedirectly.org/press Yonah Lieberman GiveDirectly [email protected] Visit International World Times on social media: LinkedIn Bluesky Instagram Facebook YouTube X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. International World Times do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

UC San Diego economist Paul Niehaus to receive Notre Dame Award for pioneering global cash aid research. April 21, 2026 Paul Niehaus, co-founder of GiveDirectly and an economics faculty member at University of California San Diego, will receive the 2026 Ford Family Notre Dame Award during an April 24 event hosted by the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity at the University of Notre Dame. The Ford Award and Lecture brings together scholars, practitioners and benefactors to engage with questions of poverty, human dignity and development practice. Niehaus will give a lecture on his experiences as co-founder of the GiveDirectly nonprofit organization, its role in facilitating direct cash transfers in anti-poverty work and key research findings that can inform international development. "Paul Niehaus exemplifies the kind of scholarship and impact we seek to recognize with this award," said Ford Program Director Patrizio Piraino. "His work combines rigorous research with a deep respect for human dignity, challenging conventional approaches to poverty alleviation while empowering individuals to make their own economic decisions." This alignment of research and impact is central to the Notre Dame Poverty Initiative, a University-wide effort to create a world intolerant of poverty by expanding knowledge about how to solve it. The University is deploying unprecedented resources, a wide range of research approaches and some of its brightest minds to better understand what causes poverty and how to end it. The GiveDirectly mission, Niehaus said, is rooted in a respect for people's agency and autonomy when delivering aid. Since 2009, direct cash payments have gone to at least 2 million people living in African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as in the United States. "GiveDirectly has grown from a crazy idea that people thought would never work to over $1 billion now distributed," said Niehaus, who welcomes the Ford Program recognition and the opportunity to share data from some two dozen rigorous studies on direct cash transfer. They include a December 2025 paper, co-authored by Niehaus, that demonstrates how just 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent of global GDP is needed to effectively end extreme poverty - everywhere. The numbers fall within a range that about 60 percent of "rich world" survey respondents would give up if it were to end global poverty, according to separate research on direct cash transfer by Nobel Prize recipients Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, as well as economist Michael Greenstone of the University of Chicago. Niehaus finds these results encouraging, even as research on direct giving continues at a national scale in places like Rwanda and Malawi. "We're asking the question, if you come in and give people one-time wealth transfers, what does that get you?" he explained. The impact can vary based on a range of variables. Among them are how larger amounts compare with smaller universal basic income-like payments over time, how demographics like age affect preferences and specific goals the cash support is meant to help people achieve. Those goals are self-directed and articulated by the people themselves, Niehaus said, with GiveDirectly data showing that about $1,000 U.S. dollars, given in a lump sum, translates in a year or so to improved income and assets, health outcomes and community life. "There's a lot of diversity within an ethical worldview," Niehaus said, with many donors looking for market efficiencies and quantitative data to support the direct cash approach. Others may place more focus on anti-poverty work itself, or on a limited scope like coffee and specific crops. Program success is achieved through tech-driven tools for both facilitating donor gifts and managing individual digital accounts in places like Kenya. Niehaus says the model essentially works everywhere, although security challenges can limit operations in some communities. Yet there's no one-size-fits-all answer, and research helps the GiveDirectly team to see the ethical implications of how they define and assess poverty, as well as how aid works in the real world. Niehaus says he increasingly spends time helping younger academics to refine their thinking on how to make a difference while designing research approaches. "Research helps us to find out what matters to people," Niehaus added. He looks forward to sharing some of those same insights during the Ford Program lecture. Founded in 2008 with a gift from the family of University of Notre Dame Trustee W. Douglas Ford, the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, part of the Kellogg Institute in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, promotes Integral Human Development through community-engaged research, teaching and service aimed at understanding and addressing the challenges of extreme poverty while fostering human dignity and flourishing. Originally published by the Kellogg Institute at kellogg.nd.edu on April 20.