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.
Before GiveDirectly came to my village, I had never had a thought let alone planning to own even a single animal in my life and thanks to GiveDirectly for its through the transfer that has improved my life by enabling me to purchase a pair of oxen to help me farm extensively and utilise my uncultivated land for better yields. This so far is the biggest difference that I've ever experienced in my life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Receiving the transfer to me brought great joy into my family and I felt like I have finally been freed from a bondage of poverty that had struck me for a long time. For the first time, I felt God was fulfilling my hearts desires through GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer to purchase a pair of oxen to enable me to effectively do farming and for early planting purposes. I have a big acreage which I was not able to cultivate fully due to inadequate farm tools and equipment. Oxens are better in farming large acreage of land and not expensive to maintain. I have always desired to build a bigger house for my family to shelter on as the one I had was small and in a bad condition as it is old but with the small amount of money I was getting from charcoal burning, It was not enough to build it and even to sustain my family in matters of food. I decided to spend the remaining amount of my transfer in the purchase of iron sheets to use in building my own house. I also spent part of the transfer to buy enough food for my family since food was a problem to us and at times we were forced to sleep hungry because my income was not stable.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that my family's life will change for the better. I will construct a new iron sheets roofed house for my family to replace the grass thatched one which is currently leaking. I will also purchase an oxen and oxen plough for ploughing my farm and those of others to get income. This will be a reliable source of income to sustain my children's school fees and other basic needs for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning when I wake up seeing my family is healthy. We prepare the children for school while my wife and I take our roles for the day. Having seen everything for the day is in order makes me feel very happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is lack of stable source of income to sustain my family's basic needs. I currently depends on burning charcoal for sale while my wife is doing casual jobs for my neighbor to get a pay. This have not been reliable at all. We sometimes go without a meal and my children miss school due to lack of fees.
