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 biggest difference in your daily life.
The transfer has enabled me to purchase an ox which to me is a good start towards owning a pair. I have been hiring oxen from my neighbors for many seasons, thus having a pair is a great relief to me, because once I get the pair, I will no longer be hiring. Instead, I will be hiring to them at a fee, which to me is a source of income. I will also be doing timely and early land preparations to catch up with the rains which at times it's unreliable in our area. Having the ox is so far the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the message notification on my phone at around 2 o'clock in the morning. On checking to confirm who could have sent a message at that hour, I realized that it was from GiveDirectly informing me that my first transfer had finally been sent. I was thankful to them and happy for the financial help from them. My family also rejoiced upon hearing the good news.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of the transfer to buy an ox. My desire has been to have a pair which would help me in my farming. I am hoping to buy another soon to have a pair. Having my own oxen will relieve me of the cost of hiring that I have been incurring for many seasons. I will also be able to increase the acreage of my farm to increase food production. In addition, I used some amount on buying foodstuffs for my family, which include cereals that would take much longer. At least now we are enjoying a daily provision of food unlike before. I am planning to spend the remaining amount to purchase the ox to have a pair that will assist me in my farming.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will grant me my hearts greatest desire of restoring back the vibrant smiles that used to exist on the faces of my family members. For the past five years, my husband has been sick and in all that time,we as a family have been living in gloom at seeing him going through so much excruciating pain. We will invest the transfer on seeking for proper treatment for his knee,stomach and eye sight problem. He tries to be strong and brave for us but whenever the pain becomes unbearable, he ends up crying out aloud and since none of us have the financial resources needed to enable him seek for proper medication, we all just end up crying with him. I have really wished to bring back the gleam of happiness on my children's faces by taking away their father's pain and I know that through receiving this money, my greatest desire will finally be fulfilled.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I wake up as early as 6:00 am and go to fetch water from a water pan that is very far from my home. I end up spending more than two hours on the way and by the time I return home, I am usually very tired. After taking breakfast, I go to the fields where I spend the better part of the day tending to the process of preparing the furnace to burn my charcoal. These whole process is normally very tiring and by the time that I return home in the evening, I normally feel so happy because I finally get to rest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Not having sufficient finances to enable me to take care of my family's needs is the biggest hardship that I face in life. For the past five years, the heavy burden of taking care of my six children lies heavily on me. My husband who used to help with the expenses got sick around that time and he has not been able to do any job. So strained is our finances that for the five years, my husband has been forced to live with the immense pain that he feels constantly around his stomach region since we can not afford medical costs related to seeking proper treatment. To make it worse, he also experiences excruciating pain in both his knees and legs to an extent that it becomes impossible for him to walk without support. Seeing him going through so much pain really hurts me because I feel I should do something to help him yet I do not have any way of doing so. In the end, I just end up locking myself away and crying since I do not want my children to also get affected by the whole situation.
