What happens if a malaria vaccine becomes available – and is far more effective than medicine and perhaps insecticide-treated nets? I hope that all malaria charities will transition, as smoothly as they can, to assisting with immunization programs. But I’m not sure. Immunization-focused charities include the GAVI Alliance, the Measles Initiative and VillageReach. Malaria-focused charities…
The GiveWell Blog
All posts by Holden
Microfinance where access already exists
A key argument for supporting microfinance is that “Millions of families are … without access” to financial services. Families may often lack access to credit, but they don’t always – and microfinance institutions may not always be clear on which situation they’re dealing with. A 1999 paper by Brett Coleman (PDF) aims to examine the…
Can a donor give “new life for the pariahs” through the World Fistula Fund?
Nicholas Kristof’s excellent column describes the problem of obstetric fistula and the World Fistula Foundation. We strongly share Mr. Kristof’s view that obstetric fistula is a pressing problem, and have written before that it’s one of the problems we’d most like to help donors address. However, we still have not identified a fistula charity that…
Pneumonia Day is another General Health Day
On World Pneumonia Day, it’s natural for a donor to ask, “Where can I give to fight pneumonia?” But the actual plan to fight pneumonia consists of the following: breastfeeding promotion, vaccination, and treatment in communities, health centers, and hospitals. All of these are general health initiatives that touch on a wide variety of health…
Why can’t you make the sale?
I recently attended a seminar with the fascinating Seth Godin and heard an interesting anecdote about VisionSpring: I could see that every single person who came to this meeting had enough money [$3] … to buy a pair of new reading glasses. And I could tell from how old they were that they were qualified…
The Gates Foundation’s agriculture program: Experimenting or floundering?
Here’s what we know about the Gates Foundation’s agriculture program: Gates believes it’s suggestive that “apart from a few states and small, oil-rich countries, no country has managed a rapid rise from poverty without increasing agricultural productivity. In the poorest countries, agriculture employs a majority of the people.” This isn’t a new argument or an…