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 received the transfer notification early in the morning and when I checked to confirm who the sender was, it was an Mpesa message informing me that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt happy since I could now build a new house to live with my family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now in the process of building a decent iron roofed house after many years of sheltering in a grass thatched hut. I never thought that a day would come for me to build a new house looking at my poor financial status. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to access a good shelter.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a larger part of my first transfer on buying building materials which include iron sheets,nails, timber and building poles in order to construct a new decent iron roofed house. I did not have a nice house before, I was sheltering in a small grass thatched hut which was always leaking during rains. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling to access to good shelter which has been just a dream to me. I have saved the remaining amount of the transfer in order to buy a cow to keep in my homestead.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
For the past one year I have been living under a very poor structure after my house collapsed. Since I am not financially stable, I built a house that resembles a chicken pen to shelter my family. The condition of this place is not fit for human life and it is a threat to our security. The house is surrounded by bushes that harbour very dangerous snakes. As if this is not enough the walls are almost falling and it has no door to protect our household items. Therefore, receiving this transfer means constructing a better house to provide my family a decent shelter.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Since I received Christ a year ago my mornings have never been the same. I used to wake up with a lot of stress but now I am enjoying the joy of salvation. Every morning before I embark on my duties I always sing Christian hymns that bring me closer to God. This reminds me of how small my problems are thus making it the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My spouse who works as a casual labourer in Mombasa is the sole breadwinner of this family. Since he doesn't earn enough because of the nature of his job, the much he can give us is 500 shillings a month. It is due to this that my family leads a miserable life. He can spend up to a year without coming home because he cannot afford transport money. I feel like he has neglected us but there is no way out. All this is happening due to lack of enough finances.
