We have many exciting things coming in 2014 and we thank all of those who supported us last year. Maria Sanchez has just joined our team part time, she's worked with different NGO's and UN agencies and brings lots of enthusiasm . Here are a few words she wanted to share :
"I am a
firm believer that giving people a choice is a great gift. Those of us who have
them (choosing what you want to have for lunch, what university you want to go
to, where you want to live, what you want to wear, when you want to shower,
etc) are very fortunate. We take it for granted and sometimes I forget that
most people don’t have those choices every day.
When I came
across Give Aid Direct I was very excited of supporting the idea of giving
people choice and dignity while working with new technologies that will enable
cash transfers to be easier and reach those in most need.
I’ve always
been interested in cash transfers and have seen the positive effects they’ve
had rebuilding markets after a disaster or in conflict situations. There is now
substantial evidence and research supporting cash transfers as a positive
intervention in development and humanitarian settings. However this also raises
many questions in terms of transparency and how people will actually spend the
money. This is one of the challenges I want to understand and communicate to
GAD supporters.
GAD gives the donor a choice among different individuals and projects
and at the same time the recipient has a choice too. Being able to be part of a
project in its early stages especially when it has so many possibilities of
where it can go is very exciting. I look forward to this great
opportunity."
