Unconditional cash transfers in Kiryandongo refugee settlement, Uganda

IDinsight conducted an impact evaluation of GiveDirectly’s unconditional cash transfer program to understand the effects of cash transfers on refugees and people living in communities surrounding the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in Uganda. IDinsight’s impact evaluation consisted of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a longitudinal, qualitative study. GiveDirectly wanted to understand the potential role that large, unconditional cash transfers can play in improving refugees’ wellbeing, namely those in protracted displacement in East Africa. In these locations, refugees may have some, but not all, of the same investment opportunities as citizens. While an initial 2018 pilot, conducted internally by GiveDirectly, indicated operational feasibility and positive results of cash transfers to refugees in Uganda, they needed more evidence. GiveDirectly and other stakeholders working to support refugees wanted to understand more about whether and how cash can be transformed into welfare gains within constraints faced by refugees. They also wanted to understand whether cash transfers influence social relations amongst refugees and between refugees and Ugandan “host” communities. GiveDirectly built on the results from its pilot cash transfers by commissioning a larger, more rigorous study in the Kiryandongo district. For this project, GiveDirectly provided ~USD 1,000 in unconditional cash transfers to ~10,000 refugee households and ~4,300 host community households.