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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Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
329680 RWF ($302 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
i was working in the fields when I heard my phone message alert tone ring. A few moments later, we could hear screams of joy all over the place snd that is how I knew we had received our first transfer. I waited and withdrew my money a day after. Mobile Money agents had been alerted that our village had received GD transfers and they were quick to come in our respective homes for the withdrawal. I was home with my 3 kids when the agent withdrew the money. He was very kind to help me count the money before departing. I bought land from a family member who was selling it, I bought a mattress, school uniform for my children and food.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before recceiving my first GD transfer, I rented a small field to survive or work in someone else's field for roughly 1 $ a day. These working conditions made it hard to get food for my children and I. When I received my first GD transfer, I bought my own field which I now spend most of my time because I was also able to buy food to sustain my family while the crops in my field are not yet ready for harvest.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before receiving my GD transfer, I had always wanted to buy and own land so I bought a field 150 $, a mattress worth 40 $, clothes for my children worth 45 $ and a fair amount of food worth 69 $. I had never owned a land but always dreamed of owning one some day.
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
The first thing I plan to do is to renovate my house in the first installment , I plan to put on a new roof because it rains inside , buy matress , beds for me and my children, clothes and food. I will also buy a pig for $40.
In the second installment I plan to buy livestock that will give me fertiliser, i will buy a cow for $300 and then I plan to build a kitchen for my house. The balance i plan to start a business of selling banana Juice and this business can help me get a stable income.
Receiving this money means helping me get out of poverty, it will help me solve all the problems I have and it will help me have a good standard of living for me and my children and they will not lack anything, they will be able to grow up and have a foundation to build themselves a good life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am herding 2 goats which have given me fertiliser to use and this has been helping me nowadays, I use the fertiliser growing taro root and so far I can see that my harvest will be good. And in these days I have been able to work for money which has permitted me to pay for my children's school fees and they have all been able to get school uniforms and other materials they need on time.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Our soil are not fertile therefore working without fertiliser is hard and I currently don't have any livestock of my own to give me fertiliser thus the small land I own does not produce enough. Another challenge I am facing is not having enough land , i have to rent from others to be able to provide for my family.
Working for my family all alone without a husband is very hard for me because I have to do everything on my own without any support and I have to raise my 3 children on my own. I have to work for others daily to be able to get money for school fees and other school materials which most of the times i lack to get when we are in sunny season nobody hire people and in that time i struggle a lot and my children face the same fate as well.
