Give international aid to refugees as cash, says David Miliband
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The former Foreign Secretary David Miliband says that giving money to refugees can be a more effective way of helping them than providing food, blankets and other forms of aid. Co-authoring an article for The Independent today, Mr Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), pointed to a number of studies that found “giving people cash works”.
“It does not create disincentives to work, it enables people to study and spend money on things that improve their lives; and it doesn’t cause them to go out and squander it on drugs, alcohol or gambling,” he wrote together with IRC official Radha Rajkotia.
Research in refugee camps for Syrians in Lebanon found that it resulted in meals that were “more frequent and had bigger portions”.
“Despite the cash initially being intended by aid agencies for use buying materials to keep warm, the money allowed the refugees to invest in what they knew they most needed – food and water,” they said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments