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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goal is to send my children to school. My husband and I decided to build a house in the city where our children will be able to go to school. We as parents were unfortunate to have not gone to school and so we dont want same happened to our kids.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion Givedirectly does cash transfer very well. They are giving us phone and money as promised in an amazing way. I am so greatful for tbis.
For now I dont know of anything Givedirectly doesn't do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have started payment for my land already. Each time I receive my transfer from Givedirectly, I collect the cash and make payment for a plot of land. My most recent transfer was spent on it.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
42500 LRD ($276 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I've now set my sights on building a house. I don't have the land yet but negotiations are being made to get a piece of land for my new house.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is God sent. I say this because people like us who didn't have any hope whatsoever of living a better life can now boast of having something to show. GiveDirectly does everything well and I don't know of what they don't do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have made initial deposits to the sellers of the land I've decided to build my house on in Fishtown. Hopefully after receiving my next transfer, I'll close the deal for my land and start construction right away.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
40375 LRD ($265 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
We got information from nerby town that people started reciving money from Givedirectly. My husband hurrily ran to a network signal area to varify. Suddenly he saw the message. He was over happy and ran quickly to imform me in the town. When I saw his happy mood, I knew something good had happened. He confirmed it and I join the celebration. I dance with him praising God. All my life I have never experience this, so I will remember that moment.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Life was hard, we made farm for survival. There is no job and no good to road for any opportunity. Things were so difficult for us, but since receiving this money; things are improving for my family. I was so tired and bore about going to farm and coming back lately to the town. I can now explore other opportunity and start a new life for me and my children.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We intend to purchase a lot of land near the city and build a house for my children to live and go to school. My kids are in the village without school, so it has been my husband and I plan to relocate them to a town closer to the city so they can have acess to school. We didnt go to school and will not like them to end up the same way.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We have been dwelling in a delapetated structure for many years and the opportunity to receive this unconditional cash transfer from GiveDirectly will enable us meet our plan to build ourselves a modern structure in our community. Sleeping in a thatched roof house is a miserable situation that we couldn't avoid only because we don't have the means to change the situation to better housing for ourselves. We don't sleep well at night during rainy season because of the so many leakages of our thacthed house . Our plan is to build ourselves a new home upon receiving the unconditional cash transfer from GiveDirectly.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Despite the hardships , I feel happy when my children find food to eat in a day which mostly happened by the end of the day after the returning from husle, my spouse . So by 6 to 6:30 PM I am happy .
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Our challenges have been how to gather resources to build ourselves a modern house and pay our children school fees, situation that we have been facing as challenges since we made our first baby in 2010 , September 23rd. Now that I mothered four children as a parent, things have become so difficult because my spouse is not during any active job for cash . Subsistence farming coupled with many other struggles like contracting people farms for little cash remain his main source of income.
