Most charity interventions don't do much

The analysis of charitable interventions in Cameroon reveals that many initiatives fail to deliver significant impact. A group of humanitarian workers established a charity in 2021 to promote effective altruism and assess local projects. They conducted a contest to evaluate various initiatives across health, human rights, and economic empowerment, finding a stark divide in effectiveness among submissions. Notably, there was no correlation between an organization's experience or funding size and its effectiveness, suggesting that organizations often prioritize securing donor funding over delivering meaningful services. Many projects, such as menstrual health and gender-based violence initiatives, lacked measurable outcomes and often duplicated existing knowledge among beneficiaries. The most effective projects were those focused on specific needs, such as providing documentation to vulnerable populations. Overall, the findings indicate a need for charities to concentrate on targeted, evidence-based interventions rather than broad, unfocused programs. The authors hope their insights will encourage similar evaluations in other developing countries to enhance the effectiveness of charitable work.

- Many charitable interventions in Cameroon are ineffective and fail to deliver real impact.

- There is no correlation between an organization's experience or funding size and its effectiveness.

- Successful projects tend to be focused on specific needs rather than broad, multi-faceted approaches.

- Many initiatives duplicate existing knowledge and do not provide measurable outcomes.

- The analysis calls for a shift towards targeted, evidence-based interventions in the charity sector.