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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My house is not spacious enough to accommodate my ten children. As a result, they are forced to seek shelter from neighbors. I have always hoped to build a house for them because I was not at peace seeing them going through this trouble every night. I had previously saved some money from my tailoring business, which enabled me to start building a house for them. The construction stalled for a very long time and eventually was caught up by the recent heavy rains and collapsed. I was very much disappointed because this meant that I had to save up again to be able to build again. I am, however, grateful that my plan of building the house was revived upon receiving my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I spent $210 on buying the necessary building materials, which include 16 iron sheets, nails, and building poles. I am hoping to start the construction soon. I am glad that my children will not have any trouble on where to stay once this house is complete. Additionally, I purchased a new mattress for them and replaced their old and worn-out bedding that they have been using. We also have some rental rooms in town which were not in good condition. The roof was carried away by the recent storms and required immediate repair to retain the tenants. I thus added $105 to my husband's savings and renovated the houses. I finally spent the remaining amount to buy food for my family, pay fees for my children, and purchase some household items that I lacked, such as utensils and two chairs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I had begun constructing a spacious house for my ten children using the savings from my tailoring shop. Unfortunately, I ran out of money and couldn't afford to finish the project. As a result, the house remained without a roof for a long time. I couldn't gather enough funds to buy the remaining materials such as iron sheets, timber, and nails for the roofing. Eventually, the unfinished house collapsed during a recent rainfall. Rebuilding seemed almost impossible as it would take a long time to save up enough money for construction. Consequently, my children had to seek shelter from our neighbours when they came home from school, as my small house could only accommodate four of them. Thanks to receiving my first transfer, I am in the process of building a new house for them. With the help of the transfer, I was able to purchase 16 iron sheets, nails, and building poles to construct the new house. This means that my children will soon have their own house and won't have to rely on our neighbours for shelter. This brings me immense relief and peace of mind.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I usually attend our savings group meetings in the evening and I was on my way to the meeting when I received a notification on my phone. Upon checking, I couldn't hold back the joy I felt. I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly, and I was delighted that I would finally be able to do things I couldn't afford on my own, such as building a new house for my ten children who had been sleeping in our neighbors' homes.
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access_time 5 months ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Catering the cost of education for my children is what has challenged me at the moment. This is because, I have 8 children who are still schooling two in colleges while the rest are in both primary and secondary schools. Since I do not have a reliable source of income, I purely depend on selling my livestock but as I speak, I only have 10 goats which can not support them to finish their studies. My recent biggest worry is when my husband who has been a pillar to the family, got an accident which led to the loss of his job as a security officer. I am currently the sole breadwinner of the family since my husband has not secured a job and he is involved in small casual jobs. Thus, I consider financial constraints as my biggest challenge.
What is the happiest part of your day?
A miracle! I consider the favor of rains that we have been receiving as something that can restore hope in people's lives. In the last phase of last year, we received rains and we were able to have good harvests. Personally, I got 8 bags of maize which can sustain my family for a period of 8 months. Currently, we are also receiving rains and I have taken the challenge to actively till my four-acre piece of land. This means food security to my household and I therefore, consider it as what has brought me joy.
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Changing my household's social status is what I consider my priority at the moment. This is by having a separate house for my children, supporting their studies as well as having water storage facility. At the moment, I share house with seven of my children while the three seek refuge from my relative. This has devoured my joy as a mother since I always lack privacy by sharing house with grown up children. Culturally, it is unacceptable. Receiving this money means construct a separate house for them and I estimate the cost of this structure to be utmost $400. Also, I intend to buy 2 mattresses at $150 to replace the old rugged ones. Part of the second transfer ($300) will help me to buy a water storage tank because we face water challenges in our village. The remaining amount will support my children's education. What a life of joy to have all these achieved!
