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.
Owning goats that I bought through financial support from Givedirectly has really made my life to be very different. This is because some of the goats have started reproducing. I now have hopes of ever getting wealthier. This is one of the co reasons why I settled in rearing them. They reproduce faster as compared to any other domestic animal. My wish is to exchange the offsprings when they mature with a dairy cow that will bring numerous benefits too. In the end, I will sell the matured offsprings in the local market and send some of my children to school. To add to this, I will no longer have to worry about meeting their daily needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at the farm when one of my sons came hurriedly towards my direction calling my name. I knew that definitely there was some good news that he wanted to relay. I patiently waited to hear what he wanted to say and the news that he broke to me was one of the best which I will never forget. I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. Out of joy, I just decided to go back and internalize what I had just heard and later decided to celebrate with my family members.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying some goats. I settled in buying them because of the good climatic condition in my village which guarantees their growth. The other advantage is that they reproduce twice a year and mature faster as well. I am certain of the ready market and that is why I am keeping them in the first place. I also bought a new mattress because previously I used to sleep on an old mat where I could be attacked by some harmful insects. Having a good sleep not worried about insect attacks is a dream come true. I later cleared school fees for my children and bought new school uniforms as well. They previously had old ones that were torn which made them uncomfortable in school. Clearing debts from the shops and neighbors were also on my plan and actually I managed to offset them. I still have quite some amount of money which I am using wisely to cater to my household basic needs such as providing daily foodstuffs and also paying for some household expenses.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been depending on livestock rearing as my reliable source of income up to 2017 where my husband was diagnosed with kidney problems. I was forced to sell all my livestock in order to seek medical assistance from a referral hospital. I have wished to restart livestock rearing but this has never been fulfilled due to financial instability. Receiving this money means the realization of my longest desire as I am planning to spend $ 420 of my first transfer in purchasing 6 high breed goats and 4 indigenous ones at $ 30each. This will transform my life for the better as I will be able to sell them at a profit when they multiple.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day because I normally come home to relax after the long day of preparing charcoal in the bush.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Despite my husband diagnosed with kidney problems and has not fully recovered, he is still forced to do charcoal burning activities in order to sustain our family's basic needs like food. This job is tiresome and requires a lot of energy but due financial instability he has to do it in order to put food on the table. I have wished to restart livestock rearing but this has not been accomplished. Therefore, the lack of adequate finance to fulfill this wish has been the biggest hardship in my life.
