Few corners of the world are left unscathed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the women of the Gambia have been left particular vulnerable – at risk of gender-based violence, economic marginalization, and child labor. The Basic Income program aims to prevent these eventualities by providing regular economic assistance to 10,000 women for one year. The initiative builds on the remarkable work done by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Jaha Dukureh and the women’s empowerment non-profit she leads, Safe Hands for Girls. In partnership with GiveDirectly and JFI, this initiative would be the first women-focused basic income program on the African continent – the basis for essential knowledge for more substantial, long-term cash assistance programs in the Gambia and Africa more broadly and, in the near term, a much-needed lifeline for Gambian women and the families they support.