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 was with my helper chatting while doing some chores when I received a message alert on my phone. I requested him to check and know its contents and my heart was filled with happiness when he informed me that it was a Mpesa message confirming that I had received the promised money from GiveDirectly. I whispered a word of prayer thanking God for the blessings that I had just received and informed my son how I would use the cash to transform our lives for the better.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My priority was to purchase a dairy cow after receiving my transfer since I have been buying milk daily and it is expensive to me and owning one is the biggest difference in my daily life. When it calves, my family will have enough milk for consumption and for sale to earn an income. Also, I will be able to save the money I would otherwise have used in buying milk and use them on other projects like paying school fees for my children. I am so happy because GiveDirectly enabled me to fulfill my dream.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
On receiving my transfer, I spent KES 30000 to buy a dairy cow. I settled on this since buying milk has been my routine and I usually spend KES 30 daily on them. I am now a happy person since owning one will enable me to save the money I would have otherwise used on milk when it reproduces and my family will also have enough milk for sale. In addition, I spent KES 5000 on a bed and mattress since the ones I had were old, KES 2400 on utensils, and used KES 12000 on food and other household necessities.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a better living for my family. I plan to purchase a dairy cow which will reduce my expenditure since I currently spend Ksh 1000 per month. I will then sell the surplus milk to the local community thus giving me money to cover other of my family's needs. This will cost me 30,000. For the remainder of the money, I will pay off remainder of my son's secondary education school fee and enroll him at a nearest polytechnic.He is set to pursue a technical course in carpentry after which he can employ himself.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is in the evening when am done with my days work. At this time, I would have accomplished the days work or have earned some money from my casual labour job,I get to clean up, and rest assured of food that day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship is financial constraints. I'm a casual laborer earning at most ksh 350 per day. This goes to food. This casual labor job is not consistent meaning I don't get to earn every day. This doesn't allow me to save or cater for other family needs like better housing and clothing.
