“Large NGOs can be very efficient at collecting money, but not necessarily providing effective help”

We live shaken daily by news about emotionally overwhelming world dramas. Despite the human impulse to help, uncertainty about the destination of donations and the need to earn a living for those who help raise ethical and moral dilemmas. Pablo Melchor, president of the Effective Aid Foundationpromotes a solution to carefully choose which programs to donate to, using mathematical formulas such as “lives saved per euro donated” to maximize the effectiveness of aid.

“Empathy must be accompanied by informed decisions to ensure that help is real”

According to the data Melchor manages, the effectiveness of aid is not always as desired. Enormous efforts often offer limited results. The essential question is not only whether the money arrives, but whether it is managed as efficiently as possible. If we live in the data age, it is important to also take them into account when doing something as human as helping.

Ask.- It is not only important that the money is not misappropriated, but that it is well invested. Is that the key to Effective Help?

Answer.- Prioritization is crucial because there are limited resources. At the time it is made, each donation necessarily excludes other possible alternatives that could have had a greater impact. We must always consider more effective options that could save more lives.

P.- What has made this approach to aid possible?

R.- Academic research has been key, especially the work of development economists living in countries in extreme poverty to understand what works and what doesn’t. A data-driven approach allows the most effective interventions to be identified.

P.- How are these organizations and programs evaluated?

R.- Independent evaluators, like GiveWell, identify effective organizations. The focus on effectiveness stems from American philanthropy, where donors seek to maximize the impact of their aid.

P.- Are the best-known NGOs the most effective?

R.- Not often. Large NGOs can become extremely efficient at fundraising, but not necessarily at providing effective aid. Interventions must be guided by effectiveness, not just the availability of funds.

P.- How to address problems such as education in poor countries?

R.- In poor countries, infant mortality and malnutrition are critical problems. Education is important, but these basic survival and health issues must be addressed first.

P.- How can the effectiveness of humanitarian aid be improved?

R.- Giving money directly to people in extreme poverty is effective because they know their specific needs. If you ask a mother if she would rather have her child survive than be educated, she will tell you that she would rather have her child alive. From an office one does not know her reality. Sometimes, in addition to resources, information must be given about, for example, the advantages of vaccinating children. The most effective way to get childhood vaccinations is to give a sack of lentils to their mothers, because taking the child to something that they see as strange, such as vaccinating them, is at the cost of not earning a living that day. In addition, you have to know on the ground who the opinion leaders of each village are in order to explain what the aid consists of. Interventions such as mosquito nets to prevent malaria are exceptions in which those affected do not see the advantages but we do.

P.- How is transparency and effectiveness in aid ensured?

R.- Transparency and validation of impact are crucial. For example, report on the distribution of mosquito nets and their effect on reducing malaria. It is important to respect and be honest with donors. For example, we provide concrete data on how much of that aid we have quantified will reach its destination and how much will be stolen locally. In the example of mosquito nets, we have measured that 97% of the aid will reach its destination and there will be 3% that will be stolen. These data must also be presented and taken into account.

P.- What role does information play in the effectiveness of aid?

R.- Information and education are essential. For example, encouraging childhood vaccination may be more effective than simply providing vaccines.

P.- How is the effectiveness of aid measured?

R.- Aspects such as the number of people helped, lives saved and the impact of specific interventions are measured. The Ayuda Efectiva Foundation focuses on low-cost treatments with high impact.

P.- What advice do you give to those who want to help?

R.- I recommend that you inform yourself well before donating. On our website We do not want to mobilize or excite, we simply ask whoever wants to contribute to read. Empathy must be accompanied by informed decisions to ensure that help is real.