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?
I received the money from GiveDirectly at a time that I was out of my home attending a burial of one of my uncles. When I heard my phone ring, I checked and confirmed that indeed GiveDirectly had sent me $550. I kept cool and did not share the information with anyone until I got home the following day. Earlier on I received a phone call from my mother in law who wanted to know whether I had recently my share which I confirmed to her that I did receive. She then advised not to withdraw the money until I was home so that I could make good use of the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is the fact that I now have a business that gives me income. I am so grateful that I finally have my own business, a business that will help me raise money to pay school fees and meet other needs of my family. I plan to use the next transfer to buy a cow for keeping and stock my shop in order to increase my profit margin. All these shall make my life and that of my children better.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used $300 to start a shop keeping business and the remaining $250 to buy clothes, food for my children during christmas.. The money came at a time when we were celebrating Christmas and for once my children too celebrated like everyone else since we had money unlike the previous years when we did not have any or we had less. We normally rely on farming to raise money that helps us make ends meet but the same has been greatly dealt a blow by the prevailing weather conditions. I am so happy that my shop keeping business is doing well and I expect the profits to keep increasing as the time goes by. I am a widowed mother of three with my first born joining secondary school as from next year. It is for this reason that I thought of starting a business that will help me raise money to pair his school fees.
Enrolled
access_time over 1 year ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Starting a business is a key priority for me now. I already have a good space that belonged to our late father-in-law and I would like to spend $700 of these transfers to buy a maize milling machine. It is a big opportunity for me because the village depends on one that is 4 kilometres away and women usually spend a lot of time walking to and fro. I'll have helped them save time and money when I start mine. The other $300 of these transfers will help me pay first year school fees for my child who's set to join high school next year.
What is the happiest part of your day?
There have been sad events in my life in the last six months so I cannot say I have witnessed anything that has brought joy or happiness in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a widow with 3 children has been the most challenging thing in my life. I unfortunately lost my husband last year and his loss came at a time that when the children needed our support so much in terms of providing school fees and also fending for them. I have been trying to put the pieces together after his demise but nothing seems to be working because I have no capital to start a business, the livestock that we had were wiped out by Foot and mouth disease thus complicating my fortunes more. It has been my wish to start a business to help me meet the demands of the family and am glad that it is almost becoming a reality.
