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 moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
We had been promised that that we would receive the transfers on a paerticular day, so while still wondering what time the transfers would come, I immeditaely got a text confirming that I had indeed received from GiveDirectly. I was happy and shocked at the same time. I had never received such an amount before. I was so excited to have received it at a time I needed that help the most.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that we will stop walking long distances in search of water. Since I bought a water tank we will now have enough water stored during the rainy seasons. Initially, we used to fetch water from a water point that was 7 kilometres far from where we stay. I normally strain a lot because I am now old and not strong enough to to walk for that long. I'm also glad that we were able to prepare our farm in time. Previously, we would delay planting due to lack of enough money which would eventually lead to low crop production
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer to buy a 3000 liter water tank. Initially, we used to fetch water from a river that was very far from where we lived. I feel good to have achieved this goals since we will no longer walk for long in search for water. In addition to that, we also bought additional chairs for our house. We used the rest of the amount to buy food and other household items.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Buying a 5000 litre water tank at $350 for harvesting water during rainy seasons is what receiving this money means to me. With this we will no longer have to depend on dirty and contaminated water from the open water pans that we usually rely on hence improved health care on our side. I will also spend part of the remaining transfer to build a modern poultry unit as well as buy chicks and mature chicken for rearing which will earn me some income from selling the chicken products.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After spending my day in the farm cultivating vegetables, maize and beans, taking a rest in the evening after taking my meal makes this the happiest part of my day
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Low land productivity as a result of unpredictable rainfall patterns has led to poor harvests from my farm hence this is the biggest hardship i face. We always end up consuming the low quantity we harvest hence none is left for sale. This means that we have stagnated development wise and all our dreams and goals are rendered futile.
