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?
My heart was filled with joy the moment I realized that GiveDirectly had honored their promise by sending me the transfers. I work as a casual laborer in one of the tycoons farm. The little money I get only caters for our meals and one is left with nothing to save. I had always desired to build a decent house for my family but had not been able to due to financial constraints despite me working 7 days a week. With the money in my account, I was sure that I would actualize this.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Ever since I received my transfers, my life has not been the same again as I have been able to save the money I get from my daily hustles. So far, I have saved $ 38. This has been possible since I was able to purchase three sacks of maize and other household necessities for my family using my transfers thus saving me the struggles of purchasing them on a daily basis. I am planning to add this savings to my second transfer and use it to purchase a dairy cow. By doing so, I will be able to save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk. In addition, I will earn some income through the sell of surplus.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent $ 422 to build a more spacious iron-roofed house for my family. I live in a one room grass-thatched house whose roof is leaking. During the day, we assemble all our beddings in one corner so that we can get some space to use as our sitting room. Sleeping during the rainy season is where the major problem is. With the leaking roof, we are rained on most of the time and due to this, we constantly catch flu. This always forced us to take some loans in order to seek for medication. Building this house will qurantee us a good health and privacy as family. Also, I spent $ 75 to buy three sacks of maize, sugar, rice and other household necessities for our consumption. I still have $50 that I am saving for use in case of an emergency.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My ambition is to have a stable job and take care of my family. Growing up in a village where the road is very bad, ai would hardly see vehicles, I wanted to be a driver and make money out of it because it looks like a very important skill for any human being. Even though I want to be a driver and make a livelihood from it, my family has other needs that will have to come first, so for my first transfer I will use $30 to build a house, this is because the house is grass roofed and during the rainy seasons it rains inside, we have to always dry our beddings outside. The remaining $25 dollars will be used to purchase a cow. My second transfer will then be used for a course in driving and getting a driving licence.
What is the happiest part of your day?
On my usual working days I wake up at 4:00 am in the morning and walk for a distance of about 40 kilometers to work. I spend most of my day there and come back in the evening at around 7:00pm. I am mostly happy in the evening when I get paid knowing my family will have food on the table for the next day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my life is unemployment, I currently work as a casual labourer in a farm and only get $3 per day, which is not enough for transport, food and health expenses for my family.
