Matu Mureithi

UBI Piloters' Network Newsletter 25, Feb, 2026

Our February newsletter edition for the UBI piloters' Network is out! Here we share findings, best practices, and collaborations across UBI pilot efforts worldwide. Access and join our network through the link. zurl.co/zLqsU

Taiwan debuts its fiction basic income group at 2025 BIEN Congress | BIEN — Basic Income Earth Network

Taiwan has launched a Basic Income book, debuting it at the 2025 BIEN Congress.
The book centres on the idea of Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) and brings together eight short stories and one short comic that explore near- and far-future worlds. zurl.co/qzO58

Notre Dame reports success of guaranteed basic income program — will it go national? - OSV News Guaranteed basic income, also known as universal basic income, is one of the more contested threads in America's social safety net.

Notre Dame reports positive results from its guaranteed basic income pilot, linked to improved financial stability for participants. Early findings suggest regular, unconditional cash can reduce hardship and support well-being. zurl.co/SQEAU

Bristol City Council will ask the UK Government to support a universal basic income trial.
The proposal calls for a pilot to test regular, unconditional cash payments as a way to improve financial security and reduce poverty. zurl.co/YrcVv

How Universal Basic Income Programs Will Influence Public Finance and Welfare Systems Universal Basic Income (UBI) is one of the most hotly debated policy ideas of our time. The concept—providing every citizen

Analysis from Modern Diplomacy suggests that UBI could significantly reshape public finance and welfare systems. It could change how governments budget, requiring new revenue strategies while influencing economic security and social policy design. zurl.co/AYTGf

Can a basic income keep rainforests standing? University of Bath researchers are finding out Researchers partner with climate change charity Cool Earth in world-first basic income pilot for indigenous people

Can a basic income keep rainforests standing? University of Bath researchers are finding out
Researchers partner with climate change charity Cool Earth in world-first basic income pilot for indigenous people. zurl.co/jBCu8

New York City has launched a guaranteed income pilot for youth facing homelessness.
Participants aged 18–24 will receive $1,200/month for nine months, plus a one-time $5,000 payment, to support stability and well-being through direct cash. zurl.co/PcHQu

Conservation starts with communities. Through the Climate Commons Fund, we’re providing unconditional cash transfers to communities, enabling them to lead in conservation, decision-making, and directly benefit from environmental protection. @equalrightorg.bsky.social @give-directly.bsky.social

We’ve kicked off community engagements for the Climate Commons Fund (CCF) in Il Ngwesi, Kenya.
The community sees CCF as a way to:
Lead in conservation & decision-making
Receive direct support to meet basic needs

Community-led conservation + UBI = a win for people & planet

1/ Conservation must be led by the communities who live closest to the land.

On Sept 13, Equal Right met with Il Ngwesi Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya — a community-owned conservancy led by the Maasai people. 🌍 #ClimateCommonsFund

Unconditional cash transfers have the power to transform ecosystems and deliver #ClimateJustice to communities. Join me Thursday at 4pm BRT for the #BIENCongress with ‪@equalrightorg.bsky.social‬ & @coolearthaction.bsky.social as we showcase their role in conservation and community resilience.

Study: Giving cash to mothers cut infant deaths in half | GiveDirectly Read about a Kenya study where cash cut infant deaths by 48% and GiveDirectly’s new pilots to reach more expectant mothers.

Over in Kenya,
Direct Cash Transfers save lives, with a 1,000 @give-directly.bsky.social cash transfer immediately cutting infant deaths by 48% #UBI
zurl.co/q3r29

Unconditional cash transfers have the power to transform ecosystems and deliver #ClimateJustice to communities. Join me Thursday at 4pm BRT for the #BIENCongress with ‪@equalrightorg.bsky.social‬ & @coolearthaction.bsky.social as we showcase their role in conservation and community resilience.

On June 11 in Nairobi, we co-hosted the #CashForConservation workshop with @give-directly.bsky.social & @globalresilience.bsky.social to explore how direct cash transfers can support both people & planet.

Read GiveDirectly’s blog post www.givedirectly.org/conservation...

Basic compute will not cut it! What people need are basic needs. Not everyone lives around comp; most live around nature, community, and fresh air.

Imagine the power of people uniting to solve critical issues in food, health, and education in their communities. That's why we are building 'Kundi', a platform that provides unconditional cash to support grassroots solutions. See our work here: ootufund.org/kundi.html

We’ve updated our website!

With unconditional cash transfers, my team and I are working tirelessly to restore dignity, agency, and opportunity to people and communities living in poverty.

We invite you to join us and, if you’re able, support our work! ootufund.org

Everyone has a right to basic resources and opportunities to unlock their full potential. UBI and unconditional cash transfers will ensure this and allow everyday people to dedicate time and energy towards their work and communities, leading to better living standards and well-being.

Just wrapped up a meeting with the BIEN volunteer group. Grateful to connect with passionate minds from across the globe working to advance UBI and unconditional cash transfers. The movement is growing, and so is the momentum. Let's keep pushing!

Event: what if conservation started with trust? | GiveDirectly Learn about the key insights and five pilots that emerged from GiveDirectly’s recent “Cash for Conservation” workshop in Nairobi, where participants explored tackling conservation not by restricting c...

When we trust individuals and communities with unconditional cash transfers to take care of their basics, we are not only providing the means to access dignity, autonomy, and hope but also the tools to conserve and protect their natural resources. www.givedirectly.org/conservation...

''We lose billions in undeveloped economic capacity and on tax revenue from those we have ignored instead of including and empowering. It is difficult to fathom the full human, social and financial implications of poverty.'' Senator Kim Pate.

UBI costs less than Poverty!

In coming years, the gap between the rich and the poor will increase, causing middle class and poor to fall deeper into debt and poverty.

Ths solution is UBI and unconditional cash transfers to create a safety net that will prevent us from cascading deeper into crime, poor health, and social unrest

Aside from generally solving poverty and inequality, UBI recognises that regardless of background, income, or circumstance, every individual deserves opportunity and the basic resources to access dignity, hope, and agency.

Let's think outside the box

impactful investment is not only in corporations and billion-dollar unicorns; it's also in individuals in micro and small businesses through unconditional cash transfers that end up boosting local economies, creating jobs, and supporting whole communities from the ground up.

Event: what if conservation started with trust? | GiveDirectly Learn about the key insights and five pilots that emerged from GiveDirectly’s recent “Cash for Conservation” workshop in Nairobi, where participants explored tackling conservation not by restricting c...

When we trust individuals and communities with unconditional cash transfers to take care of their basics, we are not only providing the means to access dignity, autonomy, and hope but also the tools to conserve and protect their natural resources. www.givedirectly.org/conservation...

most people are living pay cheque to pay cheque under the constant fear of survival, and a single setback can mean ruin. This is counterproductive. We need UBI to free people, enabling them to take risks, pursue education, start businesses, and invest in their communities.

A lot of time, energy and potential is wasted on the struggle to survive rather than on creativity, entrepreneurship, and individual well-being. Achieving true economic and social progress starts by providing basic livelihoods to everyone through UBI and unconditional cash transfers.

Apart from fighting poverty and inequality, unconditional cash transfers provide agency and dignity. Everyone deserves the right to choose when it comes to basics. Paternalistically deciding for others is not only inefficient but also ineffective @equalrightorg.bsky.social @give-directly.bsky.social

How do we expect to have abundance for everyone when there is no fair distribution of resources?

Achieving it will require freeing up millions from struggling to survive to struggling to solve problems like poverty, inequality, and climate change.

It requires unconditional cash transfers and UBI.