We Gave Every Family in a Village a Full Year's Salary

This is $11,000 in cash and if you suddenly found yourself with this amount of money, with no strings attached, what would you spend it on? They are displayed so we can choose the clothes we need and want for hundreds of thousands of people in rural Uganda. this money would be used differently, most of these people live on just 1 or 2 dollars a day which means getting an education, starting a business, getting proper healthcare or even electricity is almost impossible so I guess That the solution is simple, why not simply? giving them the money, but thinking about it, giving thousands of dollars to people who have never experienced that kind of money before is extremely irresponsible, so when an organization approached us to help them do just that, we knew we had to fly out and find out. . more Uganda is a beautiful country and

full

of amazing people, but when I was first contacted to speak directly about this program, my initial reaction was that it was a terrible idea.

I thought giving an entire

year

's income to people living in extreme poverty seemed like a recipe for disaster. Gim directly uses a strict selection process to identify the

village

s most in need and registers each

family

, then provides the recipients with a mobile phone and they create a unique PIN number to then send the money. to his SIM card so she can transact directly or go to a nearby point of sale and use his pen to withdraw cash from a mobile money agent. Limited job opportunities in the community have made it extremely difficult for

village

rs to support their families.

It's Paul, I have a wife and two children, that's why I stay, my

family

eats a day once, we eat once, S A Time, those are the challenge, if Paul had more money, he wouldn't just invest in starting a business in the area but also make sure that he and his children can receive a proper education. My H is getting that s certificate for maybe, like my life will get better in that part. People who live in extreme poverty are very limited, most of their days occupied by menial tasks. and they cannot escape the cycle of poverty in which they were trapped a

year

ago.

This was the reality for tion in Loca, the children had dropped out of school and finding work in the area was extremely difficult for them, but after receiving a donation from they

gave

directly their lives changed completely they used the money to buy land in the area and now they started to grow their own crops they also bought a grain mill and now they are processing grains for the whole community and making a small profit now they are using those profits to open a store in their house and also Locer has opened a service station in the town.

This is a great example of what this program does because it drives an economy that allows them to build businesses, but we are still somewhat skeptical about the idea of ​​Direct Cash we want to better understand the benefits that this would have over more traditional forms of assistance, so We met with Sylvestro, a local direct field officer. I am from this community working in Kamja. I grew up here and was born. Here personally my story when I was a child I was in school so it happened that when I reached secondary education my parents couldn't get money to pay me in the future so they had to sell our house so that I could go to school and For me that's like selling my dreams was selling my experiences and that poverty is the hardest poverty poverty of dreams when I joined giving directly I realized that it is really different, very different from the charities that we I've worked before, give directly, we give cash.

When cash goes to a community, even the businesses in that community are boosted, this cash allows them to meet their needs. People are trapped in poverty not because of lack of effort or lack of ability, they are trapped in poverty because of lack of opportunity. One of these people is José, the village chief. Some people own the land. What is also needed is to get some money and go look for land somewhere that you can buy. This grass then houses those who can also eat the grass. It can't last long. and again next year the same thing you destroy it then you do it you repair it you repair it but housing is just one of the many problems that the town faces hunger, poverty and lack of education are serious setbacks for the entire community, in addition from the burden of leading his people Joseph suffers serious health complications a few years ago he had a stroke that left him weakened and since he has no money he cannot buy the medicines he needs to stay stable they are living is really very hard I don't know if I can survive , I don't really know because now a struggle is a difficult disease where I don't know,

every

one here has their own unique needs and what we've realized is that the best way to help these people move towards a better future. is empowering them to make the best decision for themselves and their families, which is why we have decided to commit to helping provide cash grants directly to 300 families in this village and surrounding areas that will help them build their future, while the donation team direct finishes the process of distributing recipients that would take all day Dan and Darren explored a little more of the village where they came across two knife sharpeners, I think you better do it, well yeah boy, you have it now for the ultimate test , they bring us a chicken, no, they won't.

Bring us a chicken, we have a crowd gathered behind, let's see who did a better job sharpening the knife. If we rewind the footage, you'll clearly see that someone was helping Darren sharpen his knife. I was doing the hard work. This is a professional who does it well and now it was Dan and Darren's turn hey Champion who does not want to accept defeat Darren wanted to redeem himself in all of Africa it is typical for people to carry their things on their heads Dan and I are going to try This, oh wait, no, no, wait, do you have it?

It's out of your hands, yeah, how you doing it? Are you ready. I did not win. No way. OK. Darren won that one, but he's back. How do you do it? Early the next morning it was time. For distribution, it all comes down to this moment, all the money will be transmitted in about 10 minutes. These people are finally being given the chance to escape the poverty they have had to struggle with their entire lives, but of

every

one in Joseph was the most anxious in town, he knew how transformative this grant would be for him and the family. of the.

This was the moment they had been waiting for and the entire community began to get nervous and excited for this truly transformative moment. many lives, this is an opportunity not only for these people but also for their children and the next generations, along with giving directly, we have been able to change the lives of thousands of people in this village after receiving the text message, it was time to that the recipients did so. Withdraw the money for hundreds of years ago these people have not had opportunities, but now moving forward they have opportunities: a whole chain in history has been twisted and now they can build a stronger future not only for themselves but for generations to come. and some of them. they have already started to put it to good use like Ruth Ruth is a powerful example of what this money can manifest before receiving this direct donation money.

I had children that I couldn't help. I couldn't even pay for the medications. She was just a wife, so life was difficult, but despite the odds, Ruth was determined to pursue her dreams with the help of Give Direct. She was given the opportunity to turn those dreams into reality and set herself and her children on the path to a better future. Now I can use her entrepreneurial spirit and drive to improve herself, which in turn will improve her community. I can come together to meet my family's needs and right now life is simple, it's not how I live, but Ruth is not. the only one who put her money into starting something incredible Muma, a woman who dedicated her life to education, after years of exhausting work and saving every penny, finally had enough money to buy land and with the help of Give payments Direct was I was able to build classrooms, bathrooms and even hire seven teachers and today this school has an attendance of more than 200 children.

The money was also used for a much-needed pharmacy in the community. I help pay school fees and uniforms for thousands of children and we even build. homes for hundreds of families and these are just a few examples of how this money was spent. When these people are given even the slightest opportunity, they seize it and take advantage of it immediately knowing that they now have an opportunity that they have never had before. Probably one of the most inspiring and motivating things I have ever experienced in my life To complete the trip, Darren visited one more school that, with his direct contribution, was able to go from 650 students to over 980 in one week because their parents are now paying the fees. school fees and buy uniforms little kids, little ones, you can hear the WRA thunder behind me and it actually started to rain, but as soon as the kids started singing the clouds cleared and it's bright here, it was an amazing experience, I tried straight Our initial skepticism was unfounded and that there are many new ideas we need to consider about how we can build a better future together, but there are many more needs, which is why we are partnering with Give Direct to deliver cash to another village just a mile away .

If you want to help, click the Donate button or go donate directly. Or/so we can together help more Ugandans in need subscribe