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 very early in the morning and I was still at home with my family when I heard my phone ring and upon checking, GiveDirectly had finally made good their promise of sending me money. My case was a different one since my transfers had delayed while everyone in the village had already received their transfer and I was getting more anxious each passing day. I was at the verge of giving up and when the money finally came, I informed my wife who equally was very happy about it. We were so glad that finally we were going to be able to build a new house for our family as we had planned earlier. Our children were finally going to have a place to sleep and save us from the embarrassments of having to sleep over a neighbourhood.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is the house that we are just about to start building. This is an investment that was always lingering in my mind and each day I could not stop worrying about the possibility of not being able to put up one. Three of my children are just about to join secondary school and that again will make me strain even the more in meeting their needs of school fees and uniforms. I feel so much elated seeing that I am finally going to be able to accomplish this dream soon.I honestly would have been unable to build this house if I had not received transfer from GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought iron sheets worth KES 24000 and used another KES 5000 on clothes for my children. I saved the remaining amount to be combined with the second transfer before we can start building a new house for the family. We have been living in a small house with my family and my sons have already graduated to adulthood. My plan was to leave our current house to them so they can have a place to sleep and have their privacy. I feel so much elated that I am finally going to be able to build this house since I was always getting worried of where I would get the money to put it up and with some of my children joining secondary school I was already struggling to pay their school fees. I have five children under my care and I work as a motorcycle operator to earn a living.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We have been planning of improving and expanding our mud-walled house, but we have never managed to implement this due to financial constraints. Our main house is dusty and we feel congested since it has only two rooms. So, we are happy that receipt of this money means that we shall have the capacity to act on this project. We will utilize all the transfers on acquiring the needed materials and hiring a carpenter to build us a semi-permanent house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Over the last couple of years, we have been struggling to feed our herd of cows since prolonged droughts have been destroying grasses. However, this year proves to be "a year of blessings" to us because our maize has done well. We are happy that maize stalks from our 1acre of arable land will sustain our livestock for the next one month.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As subsistence farmers who exercise crop and livestock farming, scarcity of feeds for our cattle acts as the biggest challenge we are facing. Prolonged droughts in our area have resulted in stunted growth of grasses and other fodder. We usually spend over KES 5000 on purchasing feeds from local vendors. This renders livestock farming less profitable to us, something that is disheartening to me as a farmer.
