The payments are of a fixed amount ($1K, spread over 1-2 years), so recipients know that they won't continue to receive money indefinitely. It probably also he

The payments are of a fixed amount ($1K, spread over 1-2 years), so recipients know that they won't continue to receive money indefinitely. It probably also helps that a significant fraction of the money appears to be spent on durable home improvements (e.g. tin roofs) rather than ongoing costs. See the FAQ (http://www.givedirectly.org/faqs.php http://www.givedirectly.org/faqs.php) for more details.