iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 02/10/2026

Cool event for prospective PhD applicants, and faculty who write letters for them! Register here: yale.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 01/10/2026

A million thanks to all the staff, board members, partners, and friends, for their dedication and support; and most of all, to our Scholars, who have trusted us with their futures, and whose talents we are only beginning to understand. Here's a picture of our very first cohort, in summer 2021! 3/3

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 01/10/2026

Five years after founding @malengo.org, it’s time to let it fly! Today I’m stepping down as CEO, and Chad Sterbenz is taking over. He brings decades of experience in related roles, and I’m grateful that he is throwing his talents behind our mission. 1/3

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/09/2026

Hillary Turinawe is a @malengo.org scholar from Uganda. Within a year of arriving in Germany, he taught himself C1 German and was accepted for medical school at @unibonn.bsky.social. This week, he passed his "Physikum", the tough two-year exam on the way to becoming a doctor. Congratulations!!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 19/08/2026

In October 1786, the German physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg wrote to fellow scientist Johann Beckmann that if we want a sheet of paper to retain the same aspect ratio when it is halved or doubled, the aspect ratio must be sqrt(2). 1/n

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

I got rid of the reserve fuel, dodged another line of storms, and finally landed in Ithaca. Good to be home! Thank you for reading!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

The next day began with the dodging of thunderstorms on the way to Burlington, VT, where the little planelet was re-admitted to her home country. John said goodbye here and flew back home to Chicago.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

Goose Bay felt like being back amongst people! But they had a power outage. We had flown about 15 hours by that point, but (because we could take turns flying) decided to press on to Québec City, where we had a beautiful night landing.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

Northern Canada means having to buy fuel by the barrel, but at least in Iqaluit you don't have to use your own wiggle pump. We continued on to Goose Bay, happy to be over land again most of the way.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

In Nuuk, we were initially confused why they insisted on securing the plane with massive concrete blocks. We finally understood when the United flight from Newark was diverted to Iceland because of the strong winds the next day. Nuuk itself is very cute and lively.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

We got stuck for a few days in Iceland while waiting for better weather in Greenland. The first stop there, Kulusuk, is surrounded by mountains, the approaches have minimums of 900 feet, and the "point of no return" is 30 minutes before reaching it, so you can't attempt an approach and turn around.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

We refueled in Stornoway and said hi in the tower before putting on the survival suits for the first ocean crossing.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

En route to Glasgow, typical confusion with UK ATC: basic service, traffic service, deconfliction service... 😅 Overnight in Edinburgh with a beautiful view!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

On departure the next morning, we didn't close the door properly, leading to a drafty flight and an unplanned landing in Oostende, Belgium. Then across the channel to the UK with a beautiful view of the cliffs of Dover, and a fuel stop in Norwich.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

We set out in Frankfurt. Amsterdam welcomed us with a thunderstorm and an approach nearly to minimums, but dinner with @haushoferl.bsky.social made up for it

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

Route: Frankfurt, Germany Amsterdam, Netherlands Oostende, Belgium Norwich, UK Glasgow Stornoway Egilsstaðir, Iceland Reykjavik Kulusuk, Greenland Narsarsuaq Nuuk Kangerlussuaq Pangnirtung, Canada Iqaluit Goose Bay Québec City Burlington VT, USA Rochester NY Ithaca NY 5200 NM, 43h of flying

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 09/05/2026

For your weekend entertainment, here are some impressions from a trip in a small airplane from Germany to the US last summer! I first did this in the other direction five years ago. My friend John came along again this time — he's a very experienced pilot, and of late also a world record holder!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 17/04/2026

Congratulations to my awesome friend and former colleague @martinmattsson.bsky.social on winning the David Dollar Memorial Prize for this great paper! www.enterprisesurveys.org/en/david-dol...

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 18/02/2026

Team "Elsevier Highlights Subversion" strikes again! Best one yet! @deankarlan.bsky.social, Monica Lambon-Quayefio, Utsav Manjeer, @christopher-udry.bsky.social

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 17/02/2026

together they launched a line of clothing that is both fire and water resistant

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 27/11/2025

Amongst the ~250 students in Germany, all but 2 are still in the program and making progress. They are somewhat slower than expected (anticipated graduation timeline is 5–6 years), grades are average (2.7 on a scale from 1=best to 5=worst), and 93% want to remain in Germany after graduation.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 27/11/2025

Subjective well-being (e.g. happiness, depression) also increases, by 0.36 standard deviations (SD). (By comparison, cash transfers give about 0.1 SD.) The parents back home are doing better too (0.25 SD), and siblings and friends are no worse off.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 27/11/2025

Students were surveyed after about one year in Germany, so they are still in school. But because they have part-time jobs, their incomes have already increased by $843 relative to those who didn't travel. This figure is adjusted for purchasing power and doesn't include Malengo's stipends.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 27/11/2025

Exciting news on @malengo.org, the NGO that helps East African students move to Europe for education: Our research team has given us a glimpse of their early findings! Here is the full writeup, joint with @richardnerland.bsky.social: forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CpZYHk... Thread follows!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 16/11/2025

It's my dear sister Lisa's (lisahaushofer.com) birthday on Wednesday, and she is raising money for the folks in Italy who helped us rescue a very cute puppy recently! More here: www.gofundme.com/f/help-anna-...

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 05/11/2025

The Shapiro Foundation's new investment in Malengo is a great milestone for us! Here are some more details: malengo.org/malengo-secu...

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 01/11/2025

In some places, 18+m refers to the age in months at which the book is appropriate. In Germany it refers to the maximum number of letters per word

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 23/10/2025

Great news on @malengo.org: With a new large investment from The Shapiro Foundation (theshapirofoundation.org), we'll be able to bring several hundred vocational training and university students from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda to Europe over the coming years! More here: malengo.org/malengo-secu...

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 22/05/2025

Is it "good" or "bad" when skilled people leave low-income countries? We summarized the evidence in favor of "brain gain" vs. "brain drain": www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.... Ungated PDF: johanneshaushofer.com/research

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 21/04/2025

My amazing sister Lisa @haushoferl.bsky.social made an equally amazing quiche!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 15/04/2025

The original, non-haiku one that's more widely known:

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 15/04/2025

Remember the "Highlights" that some Elsevier journals require? Dean Karlan and friends developed an amazing way to troll them: haikus!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

We turned our advisory board into a full fiduciary board, with an amazing cast. Our great research team continues to work on the randomized evaluation. Importantly, they will measure both direct & indirect impact (e.g. on families at home), and both positive & negative impact (e.g. mental health).

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

...we received 2,600 applications within 10 days! So we asked donor and investor, the Shapiro Foundation, if we could increase the size of the pilot. Please meet Malengo's inaugural TVET Class: 120 trainees!! Many thanks to theshapirofoundation.org for making this possible.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

We also launched an exciting new program: The Kenya–Germany TVET Program! Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) is typically a 3-year training which qualifies for e.g. nursing. We chose Kenya & Germany because of a new migration treaty, and on nursing because of a great need and good salaries.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

The 136 students already in Germany are doing ok: they are getting passable grades which improve over time (the oldest cohort now has a B average), and expect to complete their degrees in 4 years. We now subsidize German classes and hired a full-time career counselor to improve job prospects later.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

Their study courses focus on STEM subjects, as is typical for Malengo students. For the first time this year, we encountered delays in obtaining student visas at the German embassy in Kampala. The ambassador reassures us this is due to a temporary staff shortage. We're monitoring this closely.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

We nearly doubled the number of students we support in the Uganda–Germany university program, adding 120 to the 136 who are already in Germany. The new students include 20 refugees living in Uganda. All are currently in the process of traveling to Germany to begin their studies.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/12/2024

It's time for an end-of-year update on @malengo.org! Our goal is to alleviate extreme poverty by facilitating international educational migration. Our flagship program supports Ugandan high school graduates in applying for and obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Germany. Here is what we're been up to!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 20/12/2024

Kicking off day 2 of the BREAD Asia Conference at NUS Singapore now! Follow the livestream at breadasia2024.com. You can also view the recording from yesterday at breadasia2024.com.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 19/12/2024

So excited that the BREAD Asia Conference on Development Economics at NUS Singapore is starting in a few minutes! Please follow the livestream at breadasia2024.com! Program is below, times are in Singapore standard time.

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 28/11/2024

Great work by Oeindrila Dube, Sandy Jo MacArthur, and Anuj Shah

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 25/04/2024

Please RT: Our 100 new @malengo.org students need mentors! You will support them in university applications and preparing for life abroad. Time commitment 2–5h/month. You can do this remotely, and German skills are NOT required. You'll be paid. Details: malengo.org/volunteer-wi...

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 31/12/2023

If you needed another reason to donate to @malengo.org, here is an endorsement from Michael Kremer!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 30/12/2023

If you're not done with your year-end giving, please consider helping a Ugandan student attend university in Germany! @malengo.org is running a GoFundMe campaign to support our 2024 cohort: gofund.me/6c385c14 Please spread the word!

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Johannes Haushofer @johanneshaushofer.com · 21/12/2023

Please RT: Our fundraising at @malengo has been slow! We want to support as many students as possible on their journey from Uganda to a Bachelor's degree in Germany. Please support us! Donations are tax deductible in the US and Germany. Details at malengo.org/donate. Thanks!

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