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?
It was still early in the morning when I realized that I had an unread message on my phone after preparing breakfast for my children. Since I am illiterate, I requested my helper to help me read its contents and my heart was filled with joy when he confirmed the good news to me. I then requested him to go and cash it out the same day so that we would start spending it as we had planned.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My life has improved ever since I received my first transfer because I am a widower and GiveDirectly gave me a helping hand in acquiring a dairy cow for my homestead. I previously had two dairy cows and adding another one is such a blessing to my family. I will be using money from the sale of surplus to cater to our basic needs on time when it reproduces.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my recent transfer, I bought a dairy cow worth KES 30000 as an investment to me that I can lean on as I grow old. In addition, I spent KES 20000 to fence my farm by spending KES 5000 on barbed wire, KES 10000 on poles and I still have KES 5000 that I will spend on labor. I decided to fence my farm since I am growing old and I easily get tired of following the livestock up and down when they are grazing. This is because I have a posho mill business that I have been running and running this business alongside grazing my livestock has been a challenge to me. I am happy for the support that has enabled me to fence my land hence making my work easier.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am currently alone in my household after my children got married and established their own families. Though my needs are not that much, my age is no longer ideal for casual jobs or big farming. I still struggling to make ends meet. I majorly relied on mixed farming which saw us through our needs. To me receiving these cash transfers means better farm produce. I am planning to spend KES 30000 to buy a cow. I currently have two and adding one will be my happiness. I prefer livestock rearing to crop farming since it is easier and I found out to be more reliable. I will be producing more milk from my farm for both household consumption and sales. This will help me have nutritious meals and income to meet other financial needs arising.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Farming is my main economic activity. I have practiced this for my entire life and I have been able to sustain my family. We receive low rainfall in our area thus our farming does not do well enough. In the recent past, we have had a long drought which made our place dry. Starvation was in every household. I thank God that all along the last six months, I never went without food. My maize crops did not do well either but I was able to afford a meal a day. This has been my joy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest challenge in my household. We receive low rainfall thus crop farming does not do well. I have an acre piece of land where I keep my animals and cultivate the other part. This is too small to produce enough yields to carry us throughout the year.
