Jan 2024: Generosity, Gambling and Good Luck

[ssandino]

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Generosity, Gambling and Good Luck

written by Aurélie

Reclaiming generosity

Have you noticed that I am a fan of TED Talks? I simply cannot look away when Chris Anderson, head of TED and author, speaks about reclaiming the internet for generosity (watch here). He argues that human beings are wired to respond to generosity with generosity. In other words, your donation supercharges other acts of kindness on the side of recipients. My favorite quote:

“If perfection is your filter, you'll end up seeing nothing good and doing nothing good.”

Me, myself and I

I know you read a lot about me. If you are not yet completely exhausted from me and my rambling, feel free to check out my interview with HSG alumni about Social Income and why I spend my free time writing this newsletter for you. Spoiler: I believe offering our time is as crucial and impactful as any material donation.

Cash pioneers

I missed the party that was the 90s because I was busy being unborn. But I just learned that this is the era when Switzerland took a pioneering role in using cash transfers for humanitarian aid. They recently launched a new website showcasing some of their impressive cash projects, many of which were set up within a few days following a catastrophe.

Long run

Unconditional cash can serve as mental relief for recipients. But what happened to the 150 program participants in LA when the cash stopped after a year? People felt more hopeful about the future, and those feelings persisted six months later. Those who benefited the most were individuals who entered the program with concrete goals. I am eager to learn about Social Income recipients' goals from their onboarding surveys.

Africa rising

What if you had to introduce mobile phones and networks in Africa? Good luck. A real adventure, as recounted in this Wired article and in this notable book. An amusing anecdote from 1994 involves Zaire’s minister who loved his new mobile phone very much, but less so about paying the bills. He sent armed troops to get it reconnected when the telecom company disconnected his phone. A quirky reminder for me to settle my phone bill this week!

Tax me not

If you do not reside in Switzerland, kindly disregard this message. It doesn't get any less exciting than this: we've generated your donation receipt for tax deductions. You can locate it directly in your dashboard. If you don't see a PDF, it means we don't have your address. Please add it and get in touch with me to receive your receipt.

My World in Data

Stat of the month

100,000,000,000

This is the amount of money needed to move everyone on earth above the extreme poverty line. Coincidentally, this is less than the annual online gambling revenue on the same planet (​​$107 billion). Our friends at GiveDirectly collected some other impressive stats.

57 years

That's the average lifespan in Sierra Leone. This has an unusual effect on how you're perceived when you travel there. My colleagues from Social Income, aged between 35 and 45, were always referred to as old during our trip to Freetown. It wasn't until later that I realized the terms “young” and “old” are relative to the local life expectancy.

My World in News

• Kush, a mixture of several drugs, is estimated to kill around a dozen Sierra Leoneans every week. (The Conversation)
• 20 things that happened for the first time in 2023. (The New York Times)
• Nobel laureate Esther Duflo proposes a "Marshall Plan" for climate adaptation during her University of Geneva visit. (UniGe, French)
• Greater Change, a British NPO, helps to destigmatize homeless people by crowdfunding for their needs. (The Guardian)

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