Helen Keller International (HKI) is a nonprofit organization focused on preventing blindness and reducing malnutrition.

Activities

HKI carries out over 120 programs in 21 countries around the world, including cataract surgery, vision correction, screening and treatment for diabetic retinopathy, distribution of treatments and cures for neglected tropical diseases, maternal and child nutrition education, and community-based management of acute malnutrition (Helen Keller International 2021a). Charity evaluators within the effective altruism community have largely focused on HKI's vitamin A supplementation (VAS) program, which distributes vitamin A supplements in sub-Saharan Africa.

Evaluation

As of December 2021, GiveWell estimates that HKI can deliver a vitamin A supplement at a cost of about $1, and that a donation to HKI's VAS program has an average cost-effectiveness of $3,000 per life saved (GiveWell 2021a; GiveWell 2021b; GiveWell 2021c). (The cost of distributing vitamin supplements is much lower than the cost of saving a life because a small fraction of people who receive supplementation would otherwise have died from conditions related to vitamin deficiency, and because of other factors (GiveWell 2020d).)

HKI's VAS program has been a GiveWell top-rated charity since 2017, and its cost-effectiveness is estimated to be in the same range as GiveWell's other priority programs (GiveWell 2021a). HKI is also featured in The Life You Can Save's list of "best charities" (The Life You Can Save 2021).