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 around 4pm on my way back from the salon, having just finished getting my hair done, when I heard a message notification on my phone. Upon seeing it, I was very excited – it was the cash transfer from GiveDirectly. I rushed home to share the news with my mother, who was just as thrilled as I was. The first thing we thought about was how we could finally buy a piece of land of our own, as we currently live on family land with my grandmother. We decided to wait another four days before withdrawing the money, allowing ourselves time to plan on how we were going to spend the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I have to say, the biggest difference in our lives after receiving the GiveDirectly transfers is that we finally own our own piece of land. It's such a relief and a joy to know that this land is ours. Here, we can plant our own fruit trees, fully aware that we will be able to harvest and enjoy the fruits ourselves. This sense of ownership is incredibly empowering. Before, we did plant fruits, but it was always on my grandmother's plot, and we could never truly make money from it. We couldn't count on a consistent income because we didn't have control over the land. But now, with our own land, the sale of the fruits in a week can give us about $2.25, which might not seem like much to some, but it goes a long way in covering our household expenditures. This small yet steady income has made a huge difference, helping us manage daily expenses more comfortably and giving us a sense of financial stability we never had before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer,I first withdrew $300 to deposit for an acre of land, which goes for $700 and is only about 10 minutes away from where we currently stay with my grandmother. With a daughter who is 2.5 years old, my family and I felt it was essential to have a piece of land of our own to secure a future for our children. Using the money, we built a two-roomed house on the newly acquired land with an investment of $150. Moving into the new house has been a dream come true for us. It means so much to have a space where we can all live together comfortably without imposing on our grandmother. We cannot be happier now that we have our own place to call home. With the remainder of the money, I bought a mattress and some food items. These essentials have greatly improved our living conditions, making our new house feel like a true home. The support from the cash transfer has not only given us a place to live but also a sense of security for the future of our children.
Enrolled
access_time 7 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I am a single mother of one living in my uncle's house. The owner left the village three years ago. I do casual jobs earning very little income which caters for food and other domestic needs though it is not enough. Most of the time the family goes without food and infact we have been taking one meal per day before we got harvest. I have been thinking of how I will do something sustainable but lacked the capital. I will use $400 to start a second hand clothes business at the shopping centre.I intend to make approximately $30 per day as profit. I will also use $550 to build a one room house with iron sheets roof. This will foster privacy to me and have ownership of the house unlike the one I am living now.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have gone through hunger for the past six months. However, on September last year, we received rain and planted maize on our one acre piece of land. We harvested three bags of maize each 90 kg. The maize will sustain my family for the next six months. The harvest brought happiness in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of reliable source of income is the current challenge I am facing in life. I do casual jobs earning very little income. However since last year on October, I have never got any job. This has made me to seek even money to buy soap and other necessities for the family. I feel psychological distarbed.
