Three years ago we made a choice that made some of our funders nervous: instead of deciding what families needed and delivering it, we would give the money directly to the women of the household, and let them decide.
The fear was that the cash would be wasted. It was not. Over three years, the ledgers tell a consistent story — food first, then debt, then a small stake in something that earns: a sewing machine, a goat, a month’s stock for a stall.
The women were, unsurprisingly, better economists of their own lives than we were. They knew which debt was strangling them, which neighbour to buy from, which small investment would still be paying next year.
You gave me the money and you trusted me. No one had done that. I did not waste your trust.
Household head, Aden governorate
Cash-first is not a leap of faith. It is a recognition of expertise — that the woman running a household in a crisis knows more about that household than any programme ever will.
