Our Beyond the Spreadsheets podcast mini-series lets you ride along with our leadership team on their recent weeklong site visit to Malawi. Recorded daily during the trip, the series shares the behind-the-scenes experience of a GiveWell site visit through real-time reflections and clips of conversations.
At GiveWell, the vast majority of our work is desk-based research—analyzing evidence and modeling program outcomes. Site visits are a small part of what we do, but they add crucial on-the-ground context that raises important questions, challenges our assumptions, and makes our research stronger.
We had two main goals in visiting Malawi. First, we wanted to understand the effects of foreign aid cuts firsthand in a country that may be particularly hard hit. Second, we wanted to see livelihoods programs like GiveDirectly and Spark Microgrants in action, providing insight as we expand our focus on interventions that aim to increase people’s economic well-being.
Throughout the week, the team visited health clinics, schools, and local villages to speak with healthcare workers and community members who shared a glimpse into their lives. Listen to the episodes below to hear a candid, day-by-day account of our learning process and some of the new insights and questions that will inform our future research. You can also listen or subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.
Episode 1
On day 1, the GiveWell team visited Zingwangwa Health Center and two villages that had recently received unconditional cash transfers through GiveDirectly.
Episode 2
On day 2, the GiveWell team met with district health officials to learn about the impact of foreign aid funding cuts and visited a local hospital to review health data.
Episode 3
On day 3, the GiveWell team visited a rural health outpost where they met with health care workers to discuss the services they provide through village clinics and home visits—and the impact of foreign aid cuts on their work.
Episode 4
On day 4, the GiveWell team visited community projects funded by Spark Microgrants, including a maize mill and a sunflower oil mill, and spoke with residents about their impact.
Episode 5
On day 5, the GiveWell team visited a school in Lilongwe, where they spoke with school representatives and families of students in a nearby urban settlement. On day 6, the GiveWell team stopped at a major hospital in Lilongwe to hear from hospital staff and an implementing partner about the impact of foreign aid funding cuts.