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 had left my phone charging and gone to the near bush for smearing mud that beautiful morning. Upon my return and on checking my phone I found an Mpesa notification from GiveDirectly and I was very happy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving this transfers is availability of adequate food and clothing for my family which was quite tough. This is because Initially, I used to rely on casual labor like charcoal burning which is illegal and quite tough especially for women.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my transfer on a heifer as an addition to the dairy cow which I already have. I also bought building materials like Ironsheets and building materials in preparation to build a more spacious house because I only have one tiny house which acts as a kitchen and bedroom as well. I also bought seven chicken layers in order to increase my family income.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that our family shall have a reliable source of income because I will venture into my dream business of trading second-hand clothes. I will use approximately KES 40000 on starting up the business. Also, I will spend about KES 30000 on purchasing an additional cow since the one we have does not provide us with sufficient milk for consumption and sale. Running a business and selling some milk will attract some revenue for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
This month, we had a bumper harvest of beans from our 0.5-acre farm. Specifically, we harvested 90 kilograms. Though I am preserving some of the beans to be sold to gain some income, we have been enjoying nutritious meals consisting the beans. In summary, the satisfactory yield made me happy because I always like to have a healthy and well-fed family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The first challenge that we are facing as a family is a reliance on a single-roomed house yet we have a relatively large family of five. In that regard, we have no privacy yet some of my children are adolescents.
Secondly, we have exhausted the 180 kilograms of maize that we had harvested from our 0.5 acres of land. Since we have no reliable source of income, I am always worried about how to fend for my family since I am the sole breadwinner (widow) and expecting my sixth child soon.
