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 is that I have built a better house for my family. We used to live in a small house that could not host all my family members comfortably. I was so shy to welcome visitors to my house because I had no space to host them. Whenever we had some family meetings we could do outside because there was no space in my house and this was so embarrassing as well. Currently, I have built a better and spacious house for my family and we no longer squeezed ourselves in one room. My children are so happy because they have a nice place to sleep. I no longer shy away to welcome visitors to my house like what I used to do before. My children are no longer spending the night at the neighbor's house like the used to do sometimes which was so risky for them because of movements. I am so happy because our living standard has changed to be better.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the money I felt so happy because I have never received such a Mount of money before. I remember it was very early in the morning when I heard a message tone from my phone and immediately I informed my daughter to check my message and she informed me that I have received a sum of 55000KES from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I knew I would be in a position to build a better and spacious house to host all my family members comfortably. I am so much grateful for the support.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my first transfer to built a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small mud house that could not host all my family members comfortably. I depend on casual jobs and I was not in a position to save money to build a house. I also bought oxen, food for the family and the rest of the I paid school fees for my daughter in secondary school.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
For a long time I have been depending on my relatives and other well wishers to educate my children. However when I receive my first transfer, my ambition is to buy a cow which will become a source of income towards my daughter's education who's in secondary school. This is what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a single mother, I have to juggle between farm work and looking after my only cow from morning this evening. There's hardly time to rest during the day. However, the happiest part of my day is in the evening when I retire to bed. It relieves me to cast all my day's fatigue onto the comfort of my bed.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Maize farming is a major dependent venture for most people in my community. When the yield declines due to drought and soil borne diseases, malnutrition becomes rife and children drop out of school die to lack on income. Immunity become weak thanks to starvation. This perennial problem has made life unbearable and this is the biggest problem I've faced in my life.
