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?
The moment when i received my transfer i was very happy because the money was so enough to bring development in my household. In addition to that it was my first time ever to receive and earn such amount of money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I had no enough food and my family was facing acute food shortage because i harvested very little due to lack of inputs, but now with this transfer i have managed to buy enough food that will cover my family for a longer time period. In addition to that my family used to dress in poor and torn clothes due to poverty and i had no sustainable source of money that would help me to alleviate the problem, today things have changed with money received from Givedirectly because i have bought new clothes for the whole family and now we are living a happy life
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on 5 bags of maize at MK8000 each, clothes, paid back loan amount to MK30000 and saved part of the transfer to be used in future
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
This money will go a long way in reducing most of the problems we face as a family. I earn money by operating a bicycle taxi business which usually brings in at most MWK500 per day since it's not my bicycle. My wife also goes going to nearby mountains to collect firewood and sell it here.
This money will assist us in building a better house than the one we are in currently. We are also looking forward to have adequate fertilizer this year as the soil in our village is not suitable for good harvest without fertilizer.
I also believe even food preparation by wife will be easier as we have very few utensils and other household items
Last but not least is to buy my own bicycle too so that we increase the earnings from the taxi business. I am very thankful to be enrolled in this project.
What is the happiest part of your day?
As someone who depends on meeting daily target for my boss. I make sure to reach his target in the morning and make some money for myself in the afternoon and evening. This makes me happy knowing my family will be having food for that day and next day. Hence each time I exceed the daily target of MK700, I become very happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship has been lack of opportunities to find money and invest in a business or anything to be sustainable. I still consider myself lucky to be working for someone with the bicycle as others are worse off since pieceworks at the lake are scarce.
Hence, this makes life a bit harder as where there is money, there is usually peace and happy faces. This is something my family is lacking.
