In late 2024, rising waters threatened communities in Kogi State, Nigeria, where floods have long devastated lives and livelihoods. However, this time, people were ready.

In this episode, Dana Yaari talks with Federico Barreras, Humanitarian Programme Manager at GiveDirectly, the organization that delivered no-strings-attached cash to over 4,000 people ahead of the flood. Federico shares that they used Google’s Flood Hub to forecast the impact weeks in advance and what changed when communities were able to prepare before the crisis.

Federico explains how they remotely registered via basic phones, and why AI-backed only further prepared them with an edge over traditional models.

You’ll learn:

• How pre-registration helped release funds in under 48 hours
• Why accuracy in flood modeling matters for every dollar sent
• The personalized way that communities used the cash

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Welcome to Digital Humanitarian with Federico Barreras
(01:34) Anticipatory action & preparing communities before disasters
(02:42) How GiveDirectly used Google Flood Hub
(04:33) Pre-registration in enabling rapid cash transfers
(07:27) Why Flood Hub’s granularity matters compared to other tools
(10:27) Barriers to adoption and why organizations still don’t use predictive tech
(13:45) How 4,000 people used early cash to protect lives and assets
(19:14) Shifting the mindset from reaction to anticipation
(25:26) GiveDirectly’s pilot in Kenya against drought
(29:34) The future of anticipatory cash aid and government-level integration

Resources:

• Connect with Federico
• Learn more about GiveDirectly
• Connect with Dana
• Learn more about mondayERT