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 felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I knew that the things that I had always been looking forward to accomplishing were finally going to be realized having wanted to accomplish them for quite sometime but without any success.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life that has been brought about by these transfers is the dairy cow that I bought with the money received. This dairy cow has brought tremendous changes in my life; from the lack of enough milk to feed my family to that of having enough to feed and surplus for sale to meet other needs of the family. The poultry project that IO initiated shall as well enable me to meet the cost of the basic household needs of my family and give them better living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 35000 of my first transfer to buy a dairy cow and used KES 5000 to buy improved kienyeji chicken for keeping. These two assets were so much important to me in seeing me have better living standards for my family by empowering me to even meet some of the most basic financial obligations. I have already felt the results of the cash transfer since the cow that I bought with the money has increased its productivity in milk. Initially it was producing one litre of milk per day but now the production has gone up to two litres per day. I also remained with some little amount of money that saw me complete our house with tiles. I feel so much indebted to GiveDirectly for this support.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have two indigenous cattle that produce milk that is only for subsistence use. I intend to use my first transfer of $500 to buy one exotic dairy cattle that will produce good amount of milk for my family use and the surplus for sale at the nearby market center. This will not only feed my family but also generate some extra income to cater for other expenses. Additionally, I will use my second transfer of $500 to complete and furnish my house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day starts in the morning when I start by milking my two dairy cattle. What follows is preparing breakfast for my family and then chop some feeds for my cattle. In the afternoon I take the cattle to the nearby river to drink water and come back chop some more feeds for them. In the evening I milk them and head to the farm to get some vegetables for my family to take for supper. The joy at seeing my kids play with the neighbours kids in the evening makes up my happiest part of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I depend solely on my husband's monthly salary to cater for almost all the expenses. The salary is hardly enough to sustain all these. I feel that I should have a part to play in catering for these expenses but with no job/ means to start a self employment project, I am left with no option but to be a housewife. The feeling of seeing my husband toil to cater for all of us with no additional input from me sums up the biggest hardship in my life.
