I mostly believe in Worms
I think GiveWell does a great job at determining where we get the best bang for our buck when it comes to aid, but at a more fundamental level, I don&#x27;t think I&#x27;m in a position to tell someone else what they need. That&#x27;s condescending and I&#x27;ll never have the whole picture. That&#x27;s why I give to GiveDirectly--I think people should be able to determine how they are helped.<p>Deworming programs might help kids the most, but then that money goes to a (likely American) pharmaceutical company and the benefit is over.<p>In contrast, give someone money and a lot of that money will stay in their community. Maybe the iron roof they buy provides them a smaller benefit than deworming, but the guy who makes and installs the iron roof can now buy a cow from his neighbor, who can now buy seed for next year&#x27;s crops. Maybe eventually the money allows someone to get deworming medication for their kids, but now that money had benefited a bunch of people in the community first.<p>It&#x27;s hard to collect data on this kind of stuff (although GiveDirectly is collecting a lot of data). But I think we need to recognize that the only reason we collect data is to control outcomes, and we&#x27;re not really helping people if we don&#x27;t allow them control over their own lives.