Yahoo Weather  You are here  Yes, you can trust the poor   After
the Spanish Civil War, an Indiana farmer by the name of Dan West
volunteered his time as a relief worker, feeding hungry orphans
and refugees.  He decided from his experience in the field that
what the people really needed was “a cow, not a cup” so they
could feed themselves rather than depend upon temporary aid.
From that simple observation sprang Heifer International, which
today collects money to obtain milk cows, deliver milk cows and
teach people how to take care of milk cows. I fear I am
oversimplifying the work of Heifer International, so for more go
to But this is the basic model for helping the poor.  Now comes
a radical idea that challenges a traditional model: Instead of
creating all of the infrastructure to deliver goods and services
to the poor, why not simply give the poor money and let them buy
what they need themselves?  That’s what GiveDirectly does. It’s
based on the idea that the poor know what they need.  Trusted
with the ch