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 felt so happy the mment I received money from GiveDirectly. I could not really interpret the message in the early morning since I am not so knowledgeable so I waited til later in the day when my daughter read and interpretted the message for me. The amount of joy that I experienced could not be explained since I had never received such a huge amount of money that is non refundable before.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the cow that I bought and the house that I built with the money received from GiveDirectly. These two investments had always been on top of my priority list but due o finacial challenges, I had not been able to accomplish them With GiveDirectly transfers, I have been able to buy a dairy cow as well as build a new house and this was so satisfying for me.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used part of my first transfer to buy a dairy cow and used the remainder to buy building materials and pay school fees for my children. I had always desired to own a dairy cow since I knew that the dairy cow will improve my living standards and that of my family as well but the little income that I got from my casual works as well as subsistence farming could not allow me to save up and buy a dairy cow of ourn own. The money also came at a time that I was lost on where to find school fees for my child and I therefore used part of this transfer to pay school fees for my child and keep them in school.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My compound and farm has continuously been a grazing ground for my neighbours cattle over a long period of time since I do not have one. This situation is about to change since receiving this money will mean that I will be able to buy one exotic dairy cattle at a cost of $300.I will use the remaining balance from the first transfer to build a cow shed and buy some commercial feed to supplement the already existing ones. Moreover, I intend to use the second transfer to build a house for my family that will cost $200. The one I currently occupy is too small to house all of us. The remaining balance from the transfer will be for ensuring food security for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day entails waking up very early in the morning and carrying out normal household chores. After this, I prepare breakfast for my family and also lunch for my kids who will be back early after school. I then head to look for a casual job from my potential employers around/outside village and execute the work until evening. It is in the evening that I feel happy since its at this time that I get paid my dues. This creates an assurance that my kids will have something to take for supper since I already have the means to buy foodstuffs for them.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a single mother of six, raising them has been an uphill task. The eldest is in tertiary level, followed by two in secondary level and the others in primary level. Providing them with quality education has never been easy since I depend on casual labour from people's farm in order to survive. I remember a certain time I have had to beg an employer to pay for one of my kids fee and in return work in his/her farm unpaid until I managed to offset the debt. During this time, I also have to think of how I can provide for their other basic needs. I have gotten used to this kinds of situation which for me forms the biggest hardship I have ever experienced.
