Individual organizations collaborating within Shikilia are responsible for data protection. Currently, all recipient data is currently being managed by GiveDirectly, which captures and stores all recipient data on leading cloud-based platforms (including Salesforce and Google Suite), and as an organizational policy forbids storage of recipient data on local or personal devices.  Data hosted by GD will only be accessible to a limited number of approved GD staff and third-parties who require the information to monitor the program, determine eligibility and process payments. GiveDirectly also leverages the latest security methods, including password-management software and 2FA for organizational systems, to monitor and prevent any data breaches.

All individuals are surveyed prior to enrollment or transfers, with explicit consent required (via SMS) for inclusion. Where CBOs or businesses do not have permission to share list data or it is not clear, consent is being sought prior to any outreach by GiveDirectly.

We first identify a location of interest then find trusted CBOs in that region that have close community ties to work with us. To pick CBOs to work with, we look at:

  1. Risk (robustness of list from an anti-fraud perspective)
  2. Reputation (political / community reputation in terms of trust for the CBO)
  3. Need of audience (whether the recipients are more / less needy than others we can reach)
  4. Reliability (how/where it was gathered)
  5. Quality (data completeness, including poverty related data, and recency)
  6. Potential for scale (orgs that can help us reach >1500 people)

We are already working with 4 CBOS in different regions: SHOFCO, Access Afya, Ghetto Foundation and Carolina for Kibera that have given us access to 98, 000 individuals from different communities. We are also currently evaluating ~40 CBOs.

Recipient targeting involves the following steps:

Currently, more than 100,000 potential individuals have been identified, and list / CBO screening in priority areas is ongoing. Current enrollment areas include Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, Mukuru and Kawangware in Nairobi, with priority areas in Mombasa and Nairobi being actively considered. Current list providers include SHOFCO and Ghetto Foundation (prior GiveDirectly cash program partners), Access Afya (a low cost health clinic operator), and a growing list of other CBOs.

In addition to this list-based approach, Shikilia organizations are exploring the potential for geographic targeting using telco geodata, which Dalberg and GiveDirectly have previously partnered to pilot and are now working to scale for emergency response outside Kenya. Shikilia is also considering needs in rural areas and how best to support them.

Please send us an email to [email protected] with some details of what your company does and how you’d love to help then we will get back to you.

Shikilia is working in parallel with other government initiatives in Kenya and in the full knowledge of the government. Shikilia includes organizations and individuals with extensive experience working with the government of Kenya’s social protection programs, and there are ongoing discussions on how to maximize the benefits of collaboration. GiveDirectly is also directly obtaining approval in all areas where recipients are being enrolled.

Currently, GiveDirectly is receiving donations and on the hook for effective implementation (and financial liability). GiveDirectly Kenya is a registered NGO in good standing with the NGOs Coordination Board, with annual audits completed by Crowe Erastus; GiveDirectly globally is a US-registered charity (more details on financials here). GiveDirectly has delivered ~$150M USD to low-income households over the last decade, at a ~88% efficiency rate.GiveDirectly regularly updates the Shikilia organizing committee on fundraising and operational progress.

Administratively, Sun Culture is leading the coalition, with different members of the coalition pooling in different capabilities to support Sun Culture.

Shikilia has an organizing committee that is made up of various individuals and organizations working pro-bono to ensure the success of Shikilia by mobilizing funds, creating and coordinating  efficient payment rails,  ensuring the transfer of funds to final recipients, and conducting M &E. These individuals are: Edwin Macharia (Global Managing Partner of Dalberg), Agnes Gathaiya (CEO of Pesalink), Tamara Cook (CEO of FSD Kenya), Ory Okolloh (formerly with the Omidyar Network/ Luminate Group), Mark Laichena (Africa Operations Director of Give Directly), Samir Ibrahim (CEO and Co-Founder of SunCulture), and Lorraine Maina (Tech entrepreneur and consultant). All their bios can be found here. Within the collaboration, each individual organization is responsible for a specific work that they are good at.

Shikilia is directing donors interested in providing funds for cash transfers to give to GiveDirectly, a NGO which has a decade’s experience in efficiently providing cash grants to low-income households in Kenya. GiveDirectly is a registered non-profit in Kenya and the United States, with external audits completed annually in both countries (more financial data here). GiveDirectly has worked with the Shikilia organizing committee team to agree on the targeting and transfer sizing of this cash program. The first recipients for this program were enrolled and received cash transfers in April, with thousands already enrolled.

Shikilia’s goal is to ensure that as much money as possible reaches the final recipients who need it most, which also ensures that the program is well managed with appropriate monitoring and risk mitigation. GiveDirectly’s comparable cash programs in Kenya have operated at ~90% efficiency, with implementation costs (i.e., costs for enrollment and follow-up staffing, technology, financial management, payment transfer fees, etc.) totalling ~10% of total funding and 90% provided directly to the poor, though the exact efficiency will depend on the total funds raised.