07 December 2011
Watch: see how UK aid is helping the poorest to lift themselves out of poverty.
Some 1.4 billion people around the world survive on less that £1 a day. That means every day, 1 in 5 people don't have enough money to meet even their most basic needs, like somewhere to stay or enough food and water, and many go to bed hungry.
UK aid is working to remove some of the barriers that keep people in extreme poverty.
Helping people lift themselves out of poverty
Over the next four years, UK aid will help more than six million of the world's poorest people to escape extreme poverty. One way we're achieving this is by providing small sums of money as a 'safety net' of support: to provide those first few pounds to buy tools, seeds or schoolbooks, or to protect them when things go wrong - like when someone gets sick, or the rains don't come to water their crops.
These small amounts can make the difference that allows people to lift themselves out of poverty.
A 'safety net' for the poorest
One example of how UK aid is doing this is in Kenya, where the Hunger Safety Net Programme is helping to improve the livelihoods of the poorest Kenyans through a ten-year social protection programme.
Funded by UK aid and delivered by the Government of Kenya, Helpage, Equity Bank and Oxfam, the programme provides direct cash transfers to those who are most in need.
It uses a smartcard system to enrol people, including those in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Their fingerprints form a unique 'PIN' code and ensure that entitlements go to the right person.
A boost to the local economy
The money helps people to contribute to their local economy, as they can buy produce locally, as well as use basic services, including health and education which have to be paid for. The programme allows them to make their own decisions about how best to spend it. Once they have bought basic provisions and met their immediate needs, they can invest in things like livestock or small businesses to protect against future bad weather or rises in food prices.