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 biggest difference in your daily life.
Previously I had nothing that I could call my own assets to lean on in times of financial crisis and my casual job could not allow me to acquire them since the small amount money I was earning went to food and other basic needs for my family. Its only through the GiveDirectly money that I now own two bulls and goats which to me are savings for the future. To me, owning livestock is the greatest achievement that has brought the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the notification early in the morning and on checking to confirm, it was from GiveDirectly notifying me that I had received my first transfer. I was overwhelmed with joy as I went through the notification and I could see myself achieving the goal of my life to get livestock to keep as assets in my home. This alone brought happiness as I would be able to sell them later on.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
On receiving my first transfer, I bought two bulls and two goats. It has always been my desire to own livestock in my life but because I had no money, I could not acquire them. To me, this is a good investment in the area and I will keep them as my own assets and which I will be able to sell at a profit in the near future. Through them also I will be able to meet my financial needs like school fees for my children's education and other basic needs for my family. I am expecting the goats to increase in number and have many of them in my herd. On the remaining amount, I did shopping for my family on clothing and other basic necessities for my family for this was a good moment to have food that will be lasting longer for the family's consumption. I spent the remaining amount of the transfer to buy two bulls and two goats, which I am hoping they will increase in number and be
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have never had a stable job all my life, I always move from one casual job to another which is always exhausting. With the money I will receive from Give Directly, I intend to open a barber shop in Mombasa because I already have the necessary skills, I will then buy the equipment and rent a working space. Mombasa being a big town with a huge population, I am assured of getting customers and making good money out of the business which I will use to sustain my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the best part of my day. Being a casual labourer, I engage in strenuous work during the day but in the evening I go home, take a nice cool bath, rest, eat and spend time with my wife and children. This makes me a very happy man.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a casual labourer, I earn between 4000 and 5000 shillings in a good month. This money is never enough to meet all of my family's needs of food, education, clothing and medical care incase of illnesses. Due to these constraints, I have even failed to build a house big enough to accommodate my whole family, we are all squeezed in a one room house that is made of mud walls and an iron sheet roof that leaks during rainy seasons. I see inadequate financial resources as my biggest hardship in life.
