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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.
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Enrollment
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Completed
Newsfeed > Joanna's Profile
Joanna's family
Joanna
landscapeCountry:
liberia
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
30
workCampaign
Liberia Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
42500 LRD ($280 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal is to build a new house for my family and I. We presently live in a one room house that has limited space for accommodation. And I live in this house with my husband and three children. We have five children but two live with my elder sister in Buchanan, Grand Bassa county. It has been my dream to build a new one. But due to the lack of money we were unable. However, the coming of GiveDirectly into this village has given my husband and I the hand to make this dream come to reality.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has done well for me by giving me money to build a house. Never did I expect to have received this amount. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly for this help. It has brought grave relief to us (husband and I). And I thank them for being here for my family. But for things GD did not do well are not to my knowledge.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My last transfer was spent on the sawing of planks for the construction of a new house. We are farmers and do not have money. I have five living children but three are here with me. So I used my last transfer to pay for the sawing of planks for my house project. Because the house we presently live in is too old and about to break down. The money received from GiveDirectly has brought so much improvement in the lives of my family.
 
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
42500 LRD ($278 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have been indebted with so much money that I could not just pay easily. With the help from GiveDirectly, I was able to pay all of my debts that I was owing from my first transfer. When I receive my second and third transfer, I used it to buy one motorbike for business purposes because I do not want to go out of cash when the transfer from Givedirectly stops coming. I also used Some of the transfer to pay for my children's tuitions because I need them to have quality education for better job opportunities in the future.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, I believe that GiveDirectly have done very much well by reaching out to every deserving households in the town and determining their eligibility during the enrolment process. About what is not done well by GiveDirectly, I have not been able to see anything of such. I just want to say a very big thank you to GiveDirectly for the positive changes brought into the lives of my family and I to have a better future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I receive my recent transfer I was filled with joy and happiness. I been planning to invest into business to support my children in school but the very low income of finance has made me to not be able to. However when I received my transfer from Givedirectly I used portion of it to pay for all of my debts that I was owing. The remaining portion of it, I did used it to buy one motorbike for transportation purpose to be able to generate more money and also be able to educate my children and have a better future.
 
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
42500 LRD ($276 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goals were to send my children back to school and build a bigger house that will accommodate my family and I. My children were going to school before but they were put out of school because of financial problems. Moreover, the same problem still continue and make my family and I to live in a one bed room house. When I receive my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I purposely spend it on my children's tuitions for them to acquire a better and quality education for them to have better jobs opportunities in the future. My second transfer has not been taken from my account yet. When I withdraw it, I will purchase zinc and other building materials to start my house project that I have long planned for.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I have never had such opportunity that I am having now to handle such huge amount of money in my life. I have been struggling with life so badly. With the help of Givedirectly unconditional cash transfer program for the poor people, I am now able to send my children back to school. I am also about to build a decent new house that will give my family and I a better comfort. In my opinion, I believe that there is nothing that GiveDirectly has not done well. I am so grateful for this great opportunity and help given me by GiveDirectly. I thank God Almighty for them.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am living in a one bed room house along with my family. Due to the hardships I been facing, I could not afford to generate much money to support my family in school which have caused them to dropped out of school for some times now. I am happy for such help from GiveDirectly because now my children are back in school and I am now planning to build a new house that will accommodate my family and I and for our comfort in the future after receiving my third and fourth transfers from GiveDirectly.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
40375 LRD ($263 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I got very much excited when I received my first payment from GiveDirectly. The joyed and relieved that this transfer brought in my life and that of my children can't be explained. This money came the time we needed money most. Few weeks before my transfer all my three kids were put out of school for the second installment tuition. The brought so much sadness to my kids and so much worries to me. Happily I got relieved from the financial stress when I received my transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving payment from GiveDirectly is seeing the faces of my children joyfully preparing for school every morning after they were put out of school. My husband and I have been struggling very hard to raise money for our kids school fees but we only get money during harvest time from the sale of the crops we plant. We are into pineapple farming, when is not time to harvest, we always find it difficult to make ends meet. Helpfully GD came to our rescue with this great financial freedom. We are now a happy family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After receiving payment from GiveDirectly, with the struggle I was going through to raise money to pay my children's school fees, I used almost all of my transfer to pay the tuition for my three children. Notthing have ever made me feel so relieved and happy equal to what GiveDirectly did for my family by bringing this great financial opportunity our way. I now feel proud as a mother all thanks and appreciation to GiveDirectly.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
If our family is successful to receive money from GIVEDIRECTLY we'll use some to pay our children going to school in Monrovia tuition and build a bigger home to accommodate our family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last six months we used to suffer with leakage in the roof of our old house with my wife pregnant until god blessed us, and we were able to construct a single room where we are now temporarily stopping. With Givedirectly being here today I'm happy, because i know i will be able to build a decent home for our family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Our greatest challenge now is paying our children tuition and because of that only two of our four children are in school now.