We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was in the farm, looking for vegetables so that we could cook and have a meal with my family when my phone rang persistently. It was not normal for it to ring like this, so when I went back home, I asked my daughter, who is my helper, to check it and tell me what was happening. To our surprise, she said that we had received money from GiveDirectly. I was very, very happy, so excited, and I wanted to burst out with ululations, but I withheld myself.
I live with my husband and 6 children, 5 boys and 1 girl, all in school. We both do not have stable jobs but instead depend on charcoal burning and doing casual labor in people's farms, which earns us very little to support my family. We lived in a house that was leaking and on the verge of collapsing. Rain was literally raining on us, and we would even sit and watch as it rained. Whenever it got windy, we would run outside, scared that the house would collapse on us. What hurt me the most is that I could not do much about it, as the little money that we got would all go to school to settle school fees and food for the family. The first thing I thought of when I got the money was to build a better house for my family so that we could sleep in a warm place.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Our previous housing was leaking and on the verge of collapse. We lived in constant fear during rainy or windy weather, often running outside to avoid the potential danger of the house collapsing on us. This always made me sad as I did not know where to start to salvage the situation. Thanks to the transfers from GiveDirectly, we built a better home for my family we now feel safe in our new home. It's a relief to no longer worry about the dangers of our old house collapsing. With this improvement, we're filled with hope for the future and grateful for the positive change it's brought to our lives.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband and I do not have stable jobs but instead depend on charcoal burning and doing casual labor in people's farms, which earns us very little to support my family. I have a family of 6 school going children and we lived in a house that was leaking and on the verge of collapsing. Rain was literally raining on us, and we would even sit and watch as it rained. Whenever it got windy, we would run outside, scared that the house would collapse on us. What hurt me the most is that I could not do much about it, as the little money that we got would all go to school to settle school fees and food for the family. I therefore spent $480 of the transfer to build a better house for my family so that we would sleep safely without the worry of a house collapsing on us. This house is the best thing that has happened in our lives as we are now happy that it can rain and we would not be rained on. I then spent $50 to pay school fees for my children. They did not have a huge debt because my husband and I have been struggling to make sure that their education is paid for. Finally, I spent the remaining of the transfer to buy some food just to add to the little that we had so that it could push us further until the next harvest.
Enrolled
access_time 3 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I have a family of five members and we live in a two room house with grass roof. The house leaks during rain season and it is also not spacious to accommodate all the family members. Two of my children seek shelter from the neighbors compounds and it's very risk for the daughter to walk alone during night hours to where she sleeps. My husband and I do casual jobs earning very little income which caters mostly for food and school fees. One of my daughters has not joined school due to lack of school fees. I have a daughter who is supposed to join form one this one but due to lack of funds she is still at home. I will use $550 to do shopping and pay school fees for the daughter to join form one. I will also use $550 to build a two room house using iron sheets for the family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The village has been under drought for almost three years hence there was a lot of famine in the village. The family used to take one meal per day and sometimes go without any food. However, last year on October we received rain and planted maize on my one acre piece of land and harvested one bag of 90kg. This is after distraction by pests. The food will sustain the family for the next one month. The harvest brought happiness in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Housing is the challenge I am currently facing in life. The family lives in a two room house with grass roof and it leaks during rain season. This has forced three of my children to seek shelter from neighbors compounds. This is risk since it can cause early pregnancy to the daughter.
