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 was on my way to the hospital going to see my daughter when I received a Mpesa SMS indicating that GiveDirectly had finally sent the promised money. Upon seeing this, I became so happy and I alighted at the nearest shopping center, withdrew the money then came back and informed my family about the good news as I decided to postpone my visit to the hospital till afternoon hours.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that my children now own some assets as I was able to buy each one of them a goat. This has made them so happy and this brings satisfaction to me as a parent. They had always persuaded me to buy for them goats or even chicken so that they will later use in supporting their education but I had not been able to due to lack of money. Being able to grant them their request has changed my daily life as I am at peace with myself.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I bought three sacks of maize at KES 10000 for our consumption and spent the same amount on beddings and school uniforms for my children. In addition to this, I bought four goats for rearing at KES 20000. I decided on this since before receiving the transfer, my children had requested I buy them some goats as their investments. Lastly, I bought two sets of seats at KES 10000 and used KES 4700 on some household necessities.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Iam a casual labourer. Sometimes its even hard to find casual jobs and i have a family to feed. So it has been my wish to buy sheep. One sheep can give birth up to three times in a year. So they easily increase in number and whenever i cant find a job i can sell one to feed my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when i got a job and got paid. It brings joy to me knowing my family will not go to bed hungry.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my family has been hunger. My area is easily affected with drought making farming difficult. I mostly depend on casual jobs which sometimes it is hard to find.
