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 a clear morning while I was just relaxing at home when I heard people discussing about the GiveDirectly transfers. I became curious and asked them and found out that they had received their transfers. I because nervous not knowing whether I had received too or not because my helper had gone to the shopping center with my phone. When he returned in the evening, the first information he told me before asking is that, I had received the transfer of KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with joy and appreciation upto date.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Initially, getting some food was not easy for me due to poverty. Things were tough and life was not moving well. But from the day I received the transfer, there is a big difference in my life. Currently, I am grateful because my family is comfortable, they have access to food not as before. I also aim to construct a good house and my plan is to use the second transfer in fulfill this goal.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon withdrawing the money, the first thing I thought of was food for my family. This is because, hunger had been the biggest challenge for us due to the drought that affected our area. Considering that, I bought a bale of maize flour, some packets of wheat flour and some beans. Thereafter, I opted to buy some building materials to construct a new house because the one I had was on the verge of collapsing. In relation to that, I bought some blocks to mark the start of the construction process.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My house is not in a good condition, One of the walls in my bedroom is falling off and the other side of the wall is continuously dropping leaving openings. You can see the inside from the outside, and whenever it rains water gets into through the openings making it impossible to sleep. I spend the entire time sitting down in a corner until it stops. It is cold at night and I usually lit a fire to keep warm but it is dangerous, when I get asleep it can burn the entire house and myself, I will therefore spend 30000 KES of the first transfer to build a better house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
For five months there was no pasture or water for our livestock. I had lost hope of raising livestock at the rate at which they were dying. I was left with only two goats and I am grateful for the little rains from November to early December. Their is pasture and my goats are healthy and last week one of them gave birth. I hope this will continue. I will then have something to rely on as a source of income.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We have been dependent on maize as a food crop. with the current harsh weather conditions, it has been difficult to harvest, The maize is drying up without flowering and those that do yields very little. Getting food has been bothersome as sometimes we end up a whole day without a meal and whatever we get is not enough. I don't have any source of income, I am of age and not energetic enough to look for even casual jobs.
