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 around 5 am when I was still on my bed sleeping. I heard a loud message notification on my phone that made me wake up. I had to check its content since it was unusual for me to receive a message at that time. On checking, I realized that it was Mpesa messages indicating I had received the transfer in my account. I felt very happy for receiving my transfer. I celebrated and thanked GiveDirectly for the aid.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Owning an ox that will assist me in ploughing my farm is the biggest difference in my life. Previously, I was using my hands to till the farm which was very tiresome and time-consuming. Similarly, it was characterized by low harvest since I could only cultivate a smaller portion. I am optimistic that I will be able to get enough farm produce as well as earn a living when I hire it out to my neighbours.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 19,000 to purchase an ox for ploughing farm. I had desired to improve my farming by cultivating a larger portion but I could not because I was using my hands to till my farm, it was tiresome and time-consuming. I was able to harvest one bag of maize from the half-acre portion that I was ploughing. With this harvest, it was not enough to feed my family of 3 members for a whole year. Using the ox that I acquired with my transfer, I will be able to cultivate a larger portion of land hence harvesting sufficient food. Similarly, I am planning to hire it out to my neighbors to earn a living of KES 2000 per acre that prepare with the ox-plow. I also used KES 5,000 to purchase nice clothes for each member of the family this is because we had few clothes to change. In addition, I spent the remaining amount to purchase households utensils and foodstuffs for the family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money from GiveDirectly means I'll own my of piece of land to do farming. I have been surviving on borrowed farming land from my neighbor for the third season now. I don't like this at all and I feel like I need my on piece of land. I will use 800 dollars to buy the two acres of land each valued at 400 dollars. Getting the two acres will guarantee my family atleast 4 bags of maize every season and this will be a plus in as far as my family's food security is concerned. I'm planning to use the balance to buy two indigenous dairy cows for milk production both for domestic use and for sale. This will boost my family's nutritional status and doing all this will give me the peace of mind I have always desired.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon. Irregardless of the challenges I have been facing, I always find peace in the afternoon because I use this time to interact with neighbors, make stories, laugh together and enjoy the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity has been the biggest hardship that I have faced in my life. Sometimes I sleep without eating anything. This has made my life miserable given that I even don't know what I will eat whenever I wake up in the morning.
