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?
Excitement is an understatement on how i felt when i got the message of my Mobile mo ey transfer. We were expecting it and kept wondering when it would come. We thank Givedirectly for enrolling us in this programme
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Our village is far from the maize mills and hospitals. Travelling to those places has always been a problem for us. But today this is not the case anymore with the bicycle we got. We also dont ever sleep on an empty stomach due to lack of food
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used this money to buy a Matress, two blankets one for me and the other for my children. I also bought 10 ironsheets which i plan to use next year in roofing my house since we approaching the rainy season and i can not build a house. I also bought 5 bags of maize and a bicycle.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We are so excited to be part of this program. As a man, I have been facing troubles in taking care of my family properly. The small business that I do is moving around the village buying local chickens which I sell at the nearest trading centre. On a good day, I buy 9 chickens and make a profit of MWK8,000.00
The problem of the business is that I rely on borrowing bicycle from other people at a cost of MWK1,000.00 per day. If it happens that business did not go well that day, am still forced to pay the fee. We also have a shortage of food sometimes when business has not gone well and utensils are not in good shape.
I believe this money will help us to build a good house, mattress,utensils and extra food. Since I rely on borrowing a bicycle, my ambition is also to own my bicycle and do the business comfortably.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Since I travel around the villages alot, my desire is to always have enough for my family. If business has gone well and i manage to buy bread and milk, my wife and children get very happy. Even in the village, it is rare for one to be having proper three meals per day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest problem we always face is hunger. This is so as we do not harvest enough to last the year. Since the cost of fertilizer went up, we are forced to cultivate a small piece of land which eventually affects productivity.
