VILLAGERS Given Large Sum Of MONEY
WHAT COULD THEY DO WITH THE FINANCE?
Transcript
00:00This is $1,000 in cash, and if you suddenly came across this kind of money, no strings
00:05attached, what would you spend it on?
00:07They are put on display so that we can choose the clothing we need and want.
00:19Well, for hundreds of thousands of people in rural Uganda, this money would be used
00:24differently. Most of these people live off of as little as $1 or $2 a day, meaning getting
00:29an education, starting a business, receiving adequate health care, or even electricity
00:34is nearly impossible.
00:37So I guess the solution is simple, right? Why don't we just give them the money?
00:41But on second thought, giving thousands of dollars to people who have never experienced
00:45that kind of money before is extremely irresponsible.
00:48So when an organization reached out to us to help them do just that, we knew we had
00:52to fly over and find out more.
00:57Uganda is a beautiful country and is filled with some incredible people, but when I first
01:01got approached by GiveDirectly about this program, my initial reaction was this was
01:07a terrible idea. I thought that giving an entire year's worth of income to people that
01:12were living in extreme poverty sounded like it was a recipe for disaster.
01:18GiveDirectly uses a strict selection process to identify villages most in need and signs
01:22up every single family. They then provide the recipients with a mobile phone, and they
01:27create a unique PIN number. The money is then sent to their SIM card so they can transact
01:32directly or go to a nearby outlet and use their PIN to withdraw cash from a mobile money
01:36agent.
01:37The limited work opportunities in the community has made it extremely difficult for the villagers
01:42to support their families. One of these people is Paul.
01:45I have a wife, two kids. This is where I'm staying. My family is eating once a day. That's
01:53what we eat once, suppertime. Those are the challenges we are facing.
02:01If Paul had more money, he would not only invest in starting a business in the area,
02:05but also ensure that he and his kids can get a proper education.
02:09My aim is to get a certificate of senior form. Maybe that way my life is somehow improving
02:16from that point.
02:17People living in extreme poverty are very limited. Most of their days taken up are menial
02:23tasks, and they cannot break themselves out of the cycle of poverty that they're stuck
02:28into.
02:29A year ago, this was the reality for Tian and Lokra.
02:32The kids had dropped out of school, and finding work in the area was extremely difficult for
02:36them.
02:37But after receiving a donation from GiveDirectly, their lives changed entirely.
02:43They used the money to buy land in the area, and have now started cultivating their own
02:48crops. They also bought a grain mill, and are now processing grain for the entire community
02:58and earning a small profit.
03:01They are now using those profits to open up a store in their house.
03:05And on top of that, Lokra has now started a refueling station in the village.
03:09This is a great example of what this program does, because it fuels an economy that allows
03:13them to build businesses.
03:16Still somewhat skeptical about the idea of direct cash, we wanted to better understand
03:20the benefits this would have, over more traditional forms of assistance.
03:25So we met with Sylvesto, a local GiveDirectly field officer.
03:28I'm from this community working in Kawamoja. I have grown up here, and I was born here.
03:32Personally, my story when I was growing up, I was in school. So it happened that when
03:36I reached secondary education, my parents couldn't get money to pay for me going forward.
03:42So they had to sell our home for me to go to school. And to me, that is like selling
03:46my dreams, or selling my experiences. And that poverty is the most difficult poverty,
03:50the poverty of dreams.
03:51When I joined GiveDirectly, I realized that it's really different, a lot different from
03:55the charities I have worked with before.
03:57GiveDirectly, we give cash. When cash goes to a community, even business in that community
04:01is boosted. This cash enables them to go for their needs, to pursue them.
04:08People are stuck in poverty not because of lack of effort, or lack of capability.
04:12They are stuck in poverty because of lack of opportunity.
04:16One of these people is Joseph, the chief of the village.
04:19Some people are owning their land very far. So what you need is also to get some money,
04:23and go and get a land somewhere, or you buy. Then these grass houses, the termites also
04:28can eat the grass very fast. It cannot last for long. Then again next year, the same thing,
04:34you destroy, then you make repair, you repair, you repair.
04:37But housing is only one of the many problems the village faces. Hunger, poverty, and lack
04:42of education are serious setbacks for the entire community.
04:46In addition to the burden of leading his village, Joseph suffers from serious health complications.
04:51A few years ago, he had a stroke, which left him debilitated. And because he has no money,
04:56he's unable to buy the medicine he needs to remain stable.
04:59The living is really very hard. I don't know whether I can survive. I don't know really,
05:04because now I have a stroke, it's a difficult disease. Whatever, I don't know.
05:09Everybody here has their own unique needs. And what we've realized is that the best way
05:13to help these people move towards a better future is by empowering them to make the best
05:18decision for themselves and their families.
05:21So we have decided to commit to helping GiveDirectly provide cash grants to 300 families in this
05:26village and surrounding areas that will help them build their future.
05:29And while the GiveDirectly team finalized the recipient distribution process, which
05:34would take all day, Dan and Darren explored some more of the village, where they came
05:38across two knife sharpeners.
05:39What do you think will do this better?
05:41A little bit better.
05:42Turn it on.
05:43Yeah, boy, you got it.
05:46Now for the ultimate test.
06:02They bring us a chicken.
06:03No, no, they won't bring us a chicken.
06:07We got a crowd gathered behind. We're going to see who did a better job sharpening the
06:11knife.
06:12In fact, you clearly see that someone was assisting Darren sharpening his knife, while
06:17I was doing the hard work.
06:20This is a professional doing it.
06:22Yeah.
06:23Okay.
06:24And now it was Dan and Darren's turn.
06:28Hey, champion.
06:34Not wanting to accept defeat, Darren wanted to redeem himself.
06:37Throughout Africa, it's typical for people to carry their stuff on top of their heads.
06:43Darren and I are going to try to do this.
06:44Oh, my.
06:45Wait.
06:46No, no, wait.
06:47Are you?
06:48It's your hands off of it.
06:49Yeah.
06:50How are you doing it?
06:51Okay.
06:52Get ready.
06:53I won.
06:54No way.
06:55Okay.
06:56Darren won that one, but he's back.
06:57How are you doing that?
06:58Oh, my God.
06:59Oh, my God.
07:00Oh, my God.
07:01Oh, my God.
07:02Oh, my God.
07:03Oh, my God.
07:04Oh, my God.
07:05Oh, my God.
07:06Oh, my God.
07:07Oh, my God.
07:08Oh, my God.
07:09Oh, my God.
07:10Oh, my God.
07:11Oh, my God.
07:12Oh, my God.
07:17Early the next morning, it was time for the distribution.
07:20It's all come down to this moment.
07:23All the money is going to be transmitted in about 10 minutes.
07:25These people are finally being given an opportunity to escape the poverty that they've had to
07:30fight their entire lives.
07:34But out of everyone in the village, Joseph was the most anxious.
07:38He knew just how life-changing this grant would be for him and his family.
07:43This was the moment they had been waiting for and the entire community started to get
07:46nervous and excited.
08:08There's really such a transformational moment in so many lives.
08:22This is an opportunity not just for these people, but for their children and the generations
08:26that follow.
08:27Together with GiveDirectly, we have been able to change the lives of thousands of people
08:30in this village.
08:52After getting the text message, it was time for the recipients to cash out the money.
08:56For hundreds of years going back, these people have not had opportunity, but now moving forward
09:02they have opportunity.
09:03A whole chain in history, twisted.
09:06And they can now build a stronger future, not just for themselves, but for the generations
09:10that follow.
09:11And some of them have already started putting it to good use.
09:15Like Ruth.
09:16Ruth is a powerful example of what this money is able to manifest.
09:20Before I received this money of GiveDirect, I had children of which I was not able to
09:25help.
09:26I could not afford even medication.
09:27I was just a housewife, so life was hard.
09:32But despite the odds, Ruth was determined to pursue her dreams with the aid from GiveDirectly.
09:37She was given the opportunity to turn those dreams into reality and set herself and her
09:41children on the pathway to a brighter future.
09:45She is now able to use her entrepreneurial spirit and drive to improve herself, which
09:50will in turn improve her community as well.
09:52I am able to get up for my family needs, and right now life is just simple.
09:57It's not like the very way that I lived before.
10:00But Ruth isn't the only one who put her money into starting something amazing.
10:04Meet Ayuma, a woman who has dedicated her life to education.
10:08After years of grueling work and saving every penny, she finally had enough money to buy
10:12land.
10:13And with the help of the payments from GiveDirectly, she was able to build classrooms, toilets,
10:17and even hire seven teachers.
10:20Today, this school has an attendance of more than 200 children.
10:24The money was also used in a much-needed pharmacy in the community, help pay for school fees
10:28and uniforms for thousands of children, and even build homes for hundreds of families.
10:33And these are only a very few examples of how this money was spent.
10:36When these people are given the smallest opportunity, they seize it and they jump on it right away.
10:42Knowing that they now have an opportunity that they never had before is probably one
10:47of the most inspiring and motivating things that I've ever experienced in my life.
10:52To round off the trip, Darren visited one more school, which, with GiveDirectly's contribution,
10:56was able to go from 650 students to over 980 in one week, because their parents could now
11:03pay school fees and buy uniforms.
11:05Little children, little, little children, obey your parents.
11:10You can hear the thunder right behind me, and it actually just started raining.
11:15But as soon as the children started singing, the clouds cleared and it's bright over here.
11:19That was quite an amazing experience.
11:21Little children, little, little children, obey your parents.
11:25GiveDirectly proved our initial skepticism was unfounded and that there are so many new
11:30ideas for us to consider for how we can all build a brighter future together.
11:35But there's plenty more need, so we're teaming up with GiveDirectly to deliver cash to another
11:39village just a mile away.
11:41If you want to help, click the donate button or go to GiveDirectly.org so we can help more
11:46Ugandans in need together.
11:47Hooray!
11:49Hooray!
11:51Subscribe!