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.
To me, getting the money to even renovate my ageing house was not easy for the money I was getting was not enough to be spent on catering for my family and renovating my house. Upon receiving the transfer, then I was able to build a new house of which I will soon be moving into it. To me, this is the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the notification early in the morning and on checking to confirm who the sender was, I realised that it was from GiveDirectly notifying me that I had received my first transfer. I was very happy about the money for I never thought of getting such an amount of any single day of my life.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer to purchase enough building materials to construct a new house since the one I was previously sheltering in was in a bad state due to ageing. The roof was worn out and it was leaking in times of rains. Because of this, I bought new iron sheets and building posts for a new house. Its now near completion and very soon I will be moving to the new house with my family. Also, I am a livestock vendor in which I get capital to buy goats in my rural area at a cheaper price and sell them into other areas at a profit during the market days. This has been my source of income for a very long time but it a time when I did not have enough capital to buy the livestock. Getting the transfer from GiveDirectly gave me an opportunity to revive this activity again. I am now on the business fully and getting money through it as an intermediary between my clients. I also purchased food for my family consumption and did shopping for them.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
The job that I currently depend on is livestock business. It has been faced with challenges due to insufficient capital and receiving this money means that I will have more capital to invest in it.This will therefore earn me more income that can sustain my family.I will also use part of my transfers to construct a spacious house that can accommodate my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I am back from my tiresome casual jobs. My day starts very early and it is in the evening when I get the chance to rest and have dinner with my family. The company I get from my family relieve me all the stress I had during the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is lack of sufficient income to support my ailing wife. It has been seven years now since she suffered mental illness. She had to go back to her parents for assistance since I could not provide for her the required medical attention.
