# Help kill "teach a man to fish"

| I work at [GiveDirectly](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cPK84yKAnscmt88wY/an-answer-to-a-possible-objection-to-cash-transfer-charities), a nonprofit delivering cash transfers to people in poverty. We need your creative ideas to solve a problem: how to convince the world of the wisdom of giving money directly. **Will you submit to our proverb contest? ** |
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| The most common critique of giving cash without conditions to people in poverty is a fear of dependency, which comes in the form of: “*Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.*” Our NGO, GiveDirectly, has tried to disabuse folks of this paternalistic idea by showing that often people in poverty know how to fish but [cannot afford the boat](https://d10fhb04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/W2+113/d10fHb04/VVKj6N84Y1fTV6ZL1N8vMMFFW3Dl4Sm4XmPbyN4HzmfZ3q90JV1-WJV7CgQ8PW2vf1T-1Mm0zNW1Yvf7c2xB0-9W6JSH1_6LrJr9VSjbwD3YJ_vBW7vSm269dgBVFW8VGc8j5NxSFSW93F5_c1YwKqrW68vWMQ68-3WWW8LJqLC4X_QWYV4Yyb16D0WPcW8-y2GB4MxnVGW1QpRK7875RChW2pHdRC5LVgYXW5KCnD994_blYN2zKkbBYQlgrW6MrGlk2F7jMbW7H8L5-7D0zVVW2Zt3Dh1JG96QW4nb8qx1TNWxtV3hdxY5NJJmSW46L2xd55qrlhW6RxpZS40phnVW3R07m_8F8_1nW4176Bn10lTwBW4GmZQR5sQJFrW7y23qN7zw043W7MdsLz6NlCx2W2rBlmF8q6pZ73j-m1). Or they don’t want to fish; they want to [sell cassava](https://d10fhb04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/W2+113/d10fHb04/VVKj6N84Y1fTV6ZL1N8vMMFFW3Dl4Sm4XmPbyN4HzmfZ3q90JV1-WJV7CgLkzW5PLwds5wGL_LW3hfMJ45GmY7VW1Q9Rtz7Ssw2zW5CcJlt6Njf8nW19pwyd8phB_WW3yXpSL6W8G2RW96GsDP38qWfLW5wL7zN8VGG8vW5T3KQ-7FKyppW6m_PJL7zJt2mW471rHx8PNPfhW3WT0C55Jg6JCW2J6HM64vcm5wW6s-jDt5_8knfW2t0-Cx7RksC8TN0kZ2KF_BJVjvb_c9j9yBzW2H-N-287xvXbV23fqT6X5-jJN6VLnCQmGx5_W6JxJ_55Qr3fyN66kcQmzk1W_W7jjzkT3pWB9gW3dRP0w3_-GtgW5bkKvc8X0-lVW5gCJ6z5TqmcxV1LsR_5cd5WkW41DBCR3pkMF-3fgN1). Also, we’re not giving fish; we’re giving money, and years after getting it, people were [better able to feed themselves](https://d10fhb04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/W2+113/d10fHb04/VVKj6N84Y1fTV6ZL1N8vMMFFW3Dl4Sm4XmPbyN4HzmfG3q90pV1-WJV7CgGJgW4cQWZj4_VhPyW6HX3fb1k6hVpN8L0jGssGvKzW4pT6MY4XtG2pW1H_6X_51prQpW1LMFmf5WBjjpW7B98j43TcFYqW1XtXsp8JGwxzW7y5Tvq1GrfT9W93m-CS5nbwtmW4Rd3vS2fVvqLN6KtstTztJMNW3t8Knb33_k-cW9gH9F419KQvGW6wsm4r8Hkg0zW1sTK8H7kT3lpW22_WCH4cvZN_W6XQWSH5085NDW7lbf5z1qxKJFW2r9prJ9ljGmTW5fbj9Y8KyY1fN5PSKdkPB47cW8vDRX335j8XMW99glt63bdZS_W5SbVnF1G053vW7XC9ns55BDz83hnv1). Oh, and even if you do teach them skills, it can be [less effective than giving cash](https://d10fhb04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/W2+113/d10fHb04/VVKj6N84Y1fTV6ZL1N8vMMFFW3Dl4Sm4XmPbyN4Hzmdt5nKvpV3Zsc37CgFHfW4BhlzM1CRQTnW68yCtc8QH02BW8CWZP55bHF3lW2qskxL6105mPW4-Sglb73Zfd6W6WW6Wb2zRZJMW8lKCbW2rNlk7W2Gjrcn1_lnbCN4YH_zgMWtyKVy3L7k3bMVWSW523YX264XFPkVFlLXp1nHfbBW2fQFH16SvrrZW54TYSP22M4cwW477SND7HgS-3W6WjT0R1pWkWLN6sjPsl97tx6W4hVSKV3Rf4T5W3zp-2c7SFPLXW5KsFKg1wh4NnW7y1MBQ778r6dW33dtgJ4K5rH1N91N_0_gSfDpW3krYv13sBdBkV6nVsl31Dsc7W7x42Rk7gcbWyW1jx9qn5L11mTW8KXSCL6bzB1gW5-D00h92rLQHW4F9x2y4KsnpyW8VDS2Y6hK51XN8gl24k6DWTbW31xL5w65D--hN6v2vVCB0NwW3cp91). Yet, despite our efforts, the myth remains. The one thing we haven’t tried: fighting proverb with (better) proverb. That’s where you come in. We’re crowdsourcing ideas that capture the dignity and logic of giving directly. [SUBMIT YOUR DIRECT GIVING PROVERB](https://forms.gle/UDmFopE5dq6mJL126) The best suggestions are not a slogan, but a saying — simple, concrete, evocative ([e.g.](https://d10fhb04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/W2+113/d10fHb04/VVKj6N84Y1fTV6ZL1N8vMMFFW3Dl4Sm4XmPbyN4HzmfG3q90pV1-WJV7CgFZSW6myWQ13NfywfW8V3qN13McDGpVq9Xz43HKw0VW36ZPG789BdpPW4j6ZMx5hWsYFW7xcJg07R19XbW41NsQ05PrF9sW32XTP42d3-99W26zXmh2bnDX_W2S7J-53nzQ7-W8zLQc13mMFXSW1dy2S85Qs0n-Lcc0jW-dxZN1NbTQ-SSBKgW1D25yC7ll44xW3GHpr873LV0BW5qLWyr7Ddp39N85sQ36GbjDnW7mfF1n5ss2z5W7tGw_T3Bl1c-W4gQc8w6mtKW6W4DxdJQ7Tg1NCVQ32C_6-Js5-W5sdZwX20GS78W6YLvgf7W7nNDW4S6mLY8Jp6T032kL1)). Submit your ideas by this **Friday, March 3**, and then we'll post the top 3 ideas on [Twitter](https://d10fhb04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/W2+113/d10fHb04/VVKj6N84Y1fTV6ZL1N8vMMFFW3Dl4Sm4XmPbyN4Hzmfm3q905V1-WJV7Cg-MCW26pXRp8zfNT0VmXDMB4qW5Z2W7-DvSG6DmgPkW8-HP1M31xqFKW7h8C6J1K_DvQW5r1hhl1m6K1DW7T9rX1822HRMW20NWVy18x6VVW1RYJS_1ksFF_W35RVJW8z0GPhW235vlY29_0D8W937JCp2ypbS3W9l6_b_8qkpCcW4fc9qm6T6gy_Vg_vdT8s2LC3W2snQh41nFq9vW9dqCk867bKggW5MSq3m4wzZcgW2vGL4n1NyfVnW7HlQMN8410g7W3JGblg6sV8HRW5kt6f316vn_8W8bcR1Z4gGpJTMnht27rN9P23ksK1) for people to vote on the winner. The author of the winning adage will win a video call with a GiveDirectly staff member to learn more about our work one-on-one. Not feeling creative? Share with your friends who are. |
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