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 an incredible moment, a moment of excitement, joy and happiness. Then I knew that my financial difficulties will be eased and perhaps come to an end.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Unlike in the previous years, this year I will have food for the whole year. The bags of maize I have bought with this transfer plus what I harvested will definitely take me to the next harvesting season. This cash grant from GiveDirectly has made a tremendous difference in my daily life. I will no longer be going out for casual labour in people's farms and instead I will concentrate on my farm which will make me harvest enough in the next farming season. In the previous years, I used to harvest less food because I spent most days working in other people's farms in exchange for daily bread.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I got my first transfer from GiveDirectly I managed to buy 15 bags of maize for consumption. I also spent part of the transfer on purchasing a bicycle ease my transportation problems. Furthermore i bought mattresses and beddings for my household. I have also saved some money which I want to buy iron sheets next week. When I receive my second transfer I will build a better house.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I came into this village about a year ago following my husband from my home village seeking a good place to farm since pieceworks were scarce there. This money will assist us to build our own house too as this one belongs to my in-laws. The remaining money shall be used to buy household items to help us in food preparation and afford a better sleep such as pots,plates,mattress and beddings. These will make our lives better and we shall be worrying about other ways of making money to sustain ourselves since these needs have been found.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Nowadays, we are usually spending our mornings harvesting maize or shelling maize with hands. We just eat lunch and go back to the work. Hence, I rest in the evening and that is my happiest part of the day .
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The house which we are staying is not ours and this gives us pressure to have ours as we may be evicted anytime. The main problem is that we do not have the capacity to build our own like this. My husband rarely finds pieceworks and we just depends on farming only for food.
