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 was home when I received my first transfer but did not notice the SMS notification was GiveDorectly's since I can not read nor write. I rushed to our commercial center and noticed everyone was happy talking about the GD transfer they received. Someone checked for me and told me I had received the grant and I was so happy and could not stop blushing. First thing I did was to buy a goat from my son who wanted to sell one, I paid off a debt I had and bought some food all thanks to GD.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I was living in extreme poverty before receiving my first transfer. My family and I could rarely eat properly and I had no idea of how I was supposed to pay off the debt that I had. I am thankful I received the first transfer and was able to pay the debt, clothes and some food for my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had a very concerning debt when I received the transfer. I paid off a debt for a solar lighting system that was worth 70 $ , I bought a goat for 56 $, I paid 10 $ for some land I was renting, I bought food for 42 $, school unifor, worth 4 $ for my child, a matress for 25 $ and a hoe for 4 $. My house needed some lighting. First of all for our very own security, but also for my child to be able to study at home.
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
The first installment what we plan to do is buy clothes for ourselves and our children, we currently don't have any proper clothes and shoes to wear to church this will help us clean our looks. We also plan to build a kitchen, buy matress and beds. we will also renovate our house because it rains inside and we will pay for all debts we currently have including the solar panel that costed $70.
The second installment we plan to buy a cow for $300 the balance we will buy food to eat.
Receiving this money means getting the support we want because this will help us work for ourselves and not work for others to survive , we will no longer live uncomfortably and we will be able to rent enough land to cultivate and we will be able to pay for our medical bills without any struggle.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We have been able to recover a cow that we were herding and this brought happiness to us, I herded that cow for 18 years and the owner took it back 2 years ago later the cow gave birth and thank to God he recently gave me back that cow a month ago, now it is helping us get fertilisers to use and this is helping us have a good harvest as well.
Another thing we are thankful for is that I was able to get to the hospital, the day i went to the hospital i had to be carried on the back by my neighbours because Emergency vehicles can't reach to our place as the roads are broken and can't reach to our village; therefore coming from the hospital alive is itself a miracle for me I didn't know it was possible and i am very thankful for that.
Our older daughter who is married gave birth recently and this was a happy event for us and she took our young daughter to help her out and they are all well and not lacking anything as she even continued her studies.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The first thing that prevent our development and greatest challenge is that we have to work for others daily and the small money we get we use it renting land to cultivate for what to eat; renting a land nowadays is not easy when you fail to pay on time the owner gives the land to others or they even raise the money or sell the land without informing us and in that case we have to struggle searching for a new land to rent leaving that one that was familiar with our plants.
We currently don't have any cow of our own to give us fertiliser to use in the land we rent, we have to herd livestock from others to be able to get fertiliser to use.
Another challenge we are facing is being sick , me and my husband Damascene have to go to the hospital a lot , I was recently hospitalised because I had a miscarriage a month ago , up to now i haven't been able to recover from that tragedy because this was my first time facing this kind of misfortune It left me devastated in these past days.
