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 on the farm with my two friends preparing the land for planting when a message notification rang on my phone. Coincidentally, their phones also rang with message notifications. Luckily, my nephew was around, and we asked him to help read the contents of the messages because none of us could read. He confirmed that Give Directly had sent me my first transfers. To be honest, it was my best evening. I went back home very happy, eagerly waiting to share the news with my son.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference now is that I was able to plaster my house with the cash transfers. The heavy rains that occurred towards the end of last year had started to ruin the clay bricks on the walls. By then, I was not sure that I would be able to protect my house from further damage until I started receiving the cash transfers. And to tell the truth, this changed a lot, including my peace of mind. Having plastered the walls and added painting to them, I feel so much relief.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving the transfers, it was time for me to upgrade my house. I had always feared that the clay-brick walls would not hold for too long because of the heavy rains that could ruin them. So to protect them, I resolved to plaster around them and paint them to make the house look more appealing as well. All this work would not have been possible with my business of selling tap water, which earns me at most $50 per month. So the cash transfers came just in time to help me achieve this goal. I spent $350 to buy 35 bags of cement and 3 bags of white powder for the painting. I also bought two goats and a cow for $150. By owning goats, I can let them reproduce, and in the future, I can sell them to cover urgent needs like food, especially when I am stuck financially. I could never be happier for the opportunity to invest in my future, and I am happy that Give Directly gave me that chance. I also used the remaining amount of funds to buy food because my household had started running out of food. At least having food gave me peace of mind to continue working towards repairing my house because now I had enough to eat.
Enrolled
access_time 6 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Investing in livestock and supporting my son in school is what this money means to me. I intend to have a bright future with my family and I will not be reluctant to put my money to good use. A portion of the transfer ($500) will support my son who wants to join a technical institute to pursue a diploma course of his choice. This will guarantee us a promising future since we will have a reliable person in the household once he completes his studies. On livestock, I plan to spend $250 to buy one cow and two goats that will act as my project to still sustain us whenever a need arises. The remaining amount will cater to some very basic needs like food and other necessities. What a better life!
What is the happiest part of your day?
Despite my elder son having not joined college, he recently secured a job as a butcher. Although this is not his intended work, he decided to take up the challenge to help us at home. He intends to ensure he saves money to join college where he can pursue a course of his choice. As a mother, I feel so happy since I have noticed him being a responsible son and I am so optimistic about a better future. This has become the reason for my happiness over the last 6 months.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a widow means raising my children single-handedly, a responsibility that has become so challenging to me. Although I managed to take my elder son to secondary school, he has never joined college. At home, my young son had to drop out of school when he was in standard seven due to financial instability. This has hindered us from living a decent life since I spent everything I had saved. As a mother, I feel so painful to desperately watch my children hanging around without any formal job. This situation has devoured my joy since I have a fear of them being involved in some vices that can ruin them. Hence, I consider financial constraints as what has made my life harder.
