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?
It was at night when I heard a message tone from my phone. Since I was sleepy and tired I did not bother to check what the message it was all about trusting that the morning would come. When I woke up in the morning, I took my phone to the helper to see what kind of a message it was. To my surprise, it was the transfer message from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with happiness for I knew that the desires of my heart were going to be accomplished.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Initially, my life was very difficult and unpredictable in terms of what my family could eat. Relied on an unreliable source of income of cutting longs and making charcoals for sale. This was tiring work for me though I had no alternative. As of now, things have changed for better since the time I received the transfer from GiveDirectly. I have started gaining weight after taking a break from the charcoal work and my family has an access to food and this is because of GiveDirectly
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon withdrawing the money, the priority was dealing with the state of my house. The roof was leaking profusely thus decided to buy 24 pieces of iron sheets so that I could replace them. After doing that, I bought a modern bed and a mattress because the bed I was using was too small and in a bad condition. Thereafter, I opted to save the remaining amount for family use.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My desire has always been to live in a comfortable house. I am a widow, my husband passed ten years ago. The house I inherited is now falling apart. The roof licks every time it rains and it gets chilly at night. I have no bed to sleep on, I have to sleep on the floor.
I plan to get new iron sheets for my house, buy a bed and a mattress. A solar light will also come in handy especially at night when I have to go to the bushes to ease myself and I have to walk in the dark.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In December it rained, you should have seen the joy I had when I saw the first drops of rain. It had not rained the whole year and this affected our lives and productivity as farmers.
I am happy I was able to plant a few cassavas and now I know we have some food to eat when there is nothing else to feed on.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
It has been a challenge getting food to eat. I am a farmer, the past year has been hard due to no rainfall. We were lucky that it rained for a few weeks in December and were able to plant some cassava.
I live from hand to month and most days I rely on one meal a day. I live with my son who burns charcoal for a living. His income is not consistent and the little he gets he has to share with his family and me.
