GiveDirectly cash aid fraud led to broken families and mounting debts in DR Congo
ViVICTIMS of a $1.2 million fraud scheme perpetrated by staff at cash aid NGO GiveDirectly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say their lives were upended by debts and broken promises, and remain so long after the fraud was discovered in January 2023. “This fraud has complicated the lives of many residents,” said one mother of six who enrolled in the aid programme but received no payments, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear she could be disqualified from any future assistance. “Many have plunged themselves into debt that they should have avoided, believing they would pay it…