USAID Monthly Report_GiveDirectly UCT COVID_August 2021

The program provides digital cash relief to support households and businesses, with a focus on protecting livelihoods and reduce economic shocks. The activity targets market traders, micro-entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, and the rural poor. During the reporting period, GiveDirectly (GD) completed recipient verification activities, closing a total of 89,704 recipients verified. The activity has sent 197,106 payments to 82,590 verified recipients, with a total of LRD 1.5 Billion disbursed to date. Recipients are spending their transfers on various items, including investments in existing businesses, educational expenses, and food. The most common expenditures among recipients include buying more things for an existing business (53.1%), educational expenses (28.4%), and food (25.5%). A significant portion of recipients report starting a new business (5.8%) or spending on agricultural inputs (7.5%). The activity has also reported cases of mobile money agent misconduct, including charging fees above stipulated deductibles and requesting fees for unblocking recipient mobile money accounts. The activity has implemented measures to address these issues, including sending out SMS notifications to recipients not to pay any agent fees in cash and sharing details of the misconduct with mobile network operators for disciplinary action. The activity has also reported cases of phone scams, where unknown persons impersonating GiveDirectly staff ask recipients to transfer funds to their personal wallets. The activity has made significant progress in achieving its objectives, with a 27% increase in income among program participants compared to the control group. The activity has also improved food security indicators, with a 20% increase in the number of individuals participating in US food security programs. The activity has a geographic focus on Liberia, with a specific emphasis on the most vulnerable populations. The activity has a time frame of October 2020 to November 2021, with a focus on providing smaller, regular cash transfers to support households and businesses. The activity has a budget of $718,000, with a total of 82,590 recipients targeted. The activity has a strong focus on protecting livelihoods and reducing economic shocks for targeted entities. The activity has implemented measures to address mobile money agent misconduct and phone scams, including sending out SMS notifications to recipients and sharing details with mobile network operators. The activity has also reported cases of recipients reporting registering for mobile money through this activity, with a total of 42,000 to 85,000 recipients targeted. The activity has a strong focus on supporting vulnerable populations, with a specific emphasis on market traders, micro-entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, and the rural poor. The activity has implemented measures to address mobile money agent misconduct and phone scams, including sending out SMS notifications to recipients and sharing details with mobile network operators. The activity has also reported cases of recipients reporting registering for mobile money through this activity, with a total of 42,000 to 85,000 recipients targeted.