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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
There are no new goals except what I planned earlier. I only want to invest in my farm and build a new house. In the past before getting on GiveDirectly cash transfer program I had to burn coal for my children to eat and go to school it was really challenging for me. When i got the first transfer i knew my life will be better I was able to send my children to school without doing hard labour. I'm grateful to GiveDirectly for giving us a better life.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly give me phone which me make me so happy because I could not afford to buy it. I had to pay my children school fees and feed us with the little i had. Now I have a phone and sim card that i got from GiveDirectly and i can call when i have problem and her staffs are there to answer. Thank God for GiveDirectly
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend some of the money paying workmanship to those working on my farm.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
40375 LRD ($267 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the message from GiveDirectly, I felt very excited because I have never received such an amount of money before. The kind of money that I didn't struggle for, was like a blessing to me and my family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Since I received this money. I'm more relaxed because my struggles for money has reduced. I would have burned charcoal for so many months before earning such amount of money. And it would have taken years to build my own house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought two bundles of zinc with part of my money, I paid my daughter's school fees and I saved the balance money to top it up for farming purpose. I planned to start my farm and house projects soon when I received my second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Owning a house is what receiving this money means to me. For the past ten years, I have been residing in a single room with my family because i have not had the funds to construct a decent house of my own. My spouse and I have been sharing this single room with our kids. We have always been obliged to share this same room with family and friends who visit us because we do not have any where else for them to sleep. I always feel very embarrassed about this situation because it does not allow us to have privacy. If I receive this cash transfer, I will definitely use it to construct a very decent house with enough rooms that will be able to accommodate my family and anyone who visits us.
What is the happiest part of your day?
What brought joy and happiness in the last six months is the presence of GiveDirectly within my village today. I was very excited when I heard that staff from GiveDirectly were in our village to work with us. I have heard of GiveDirectly and the kind of work they do so I have really been praying for them to work in my village. For the past five years my spouse and I have been having difficulty in meeting our family's basic needs because we do not have a reliable source of income. I strongly believe that I can improve the life of my family with the assistance I will receive from GiveDirectly if I am successful.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The greatest challenge that I am currently facing is lack of a spacious house for my family. For the past ten years, I have been living with my family in a single room. I share this single room with my kids and visitors which is very embarrassing because it does not allow us to have privacy. I have been having the desire to build a very big and decent house which will be able to accommodate us, but I have not been fortunate to raise the funds to do so.
