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.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have acquired a sewing machine and this has given me so much joy and happiness. I used to do odd casual jobs that gave very little income that was hardly enough to support my family. I am looking forward to joining a tailoring class come January and be able to realize my dream of becoming a tailor and improve my living standards and that of my family in the long run.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. For a moment I was panicking after seeing a message from GiveDirectly and I took some few minutes to pray as I thank God for the moment's blessing. I checked my phone in the morning after hearing from my neighbors that they had received their money.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I used KES 15000 to buy sheep and bought a tailoring machine worth KES 15000. The remaining amount was given to my sister Judith whom we stay in the same household. For a long time I have been thinking of joining a tailoring class but I did not want to do this before I could buy my own sewing machine. For a long time, I have been doing some odd casual jobs to raise income that could help me feed my family and meet other basic household needs. This had made life difficult for me and I am optimistic that I will be able to raise enough income from my tailoring hustle.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I got a baby after form four and this angered my parents to an extent of neglecting me. Besides this, they barred me from getting married thus reducing me to a single mother. The most hurtful thing is that they refused to take me to college and took my younger sister instead. I have always wished to have a stable source of income to comfortably provide for my family. However, this is not the case because I do not posses any skills. I will therefore spend part of this transfer to enroll in a dress making college. After completing my course, I will open a tailoring shop in Bamba. This will improve my living as it will save me the agony of doing manual jobs to make ends meet.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Spending the whole day doing manual jobs is not an easy task. This wears off my energy as I hardly get time to rest. I always go to bed a very tired person. It is only in the morning when I feel relaxed and ready for another day. Such energy makes morning the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability is my biggest hardship. This is attributed to the fact that I do not have consistent income. I spend most of my days doing household chores at a fee in Bamba trading center. This earns me around 1800 shillings a month yet I have a child to take care of. Some clients do not pay on time and I end up working on credit. This has made it difficult to meet family needs.
