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 early in the morning when I was preparing to step out of the house. I wanted to confirm what time it was when I instead saw a message notification. On checking, I saw a Mpesa notification showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly. This was the best news that came my way that morning, I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness because I knew that I would be able to accomplish the goal that I had identified.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to invest in a dairy cow. I feel happy and contented to have achieved my goal in a short period. I no longer worry about buying milk daily meaning that I would be able to save up the money. In addition to that our health general would be nourished.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When GiveDirectly came to our village, I was optimistic about the future. This is because I had a big goal for my family but unfortunately I was unable to meet them due to an unreliable source of income. I work as a casual worker where I depend on my daily wages to make ends meet. Therefore, I used my transfer in purchasing a daily cow worth KES 35,000 to reduce the cost of buying milk daily. I then used the remaining amount on foodstuffs and clothes. I am thankful for the support that boosted our finances greatly.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We are a young family, recently blessed with a baby boy. We come from a poor background of 8 sons. It is the vicious cycle of poverty that has affected us. It is devastating and a sad state of affairs. Our family is known for the poverty situation, I feel so much ashamed. We never got a good education because of lack of school fees and our upbringing was so poor, we lacked almost everything. The family land is barely an acre. When it is subdivided each will get 0.1 acres just enough to build a house. The house we are living in once belonged to our parents. It is old and dilapidated, it seeps water during the rainy season which makes it uncomfortable to live in. I am overjoyed that this help has come at the right time. We intend to build a better house, an iron roof of 15. It will cost approximately KES 15000. The remaining amount will go towards the purchase of a dairy cow.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a casual laborer mostly involved in building and construction.Last December there was a lot of work and so I could get enough wages to buy food. It was a peak season for us. Even during Christmas, I had money that I used to buy wheat flour, beef, and bread. We enjoyed ourselves like other families. There is no joy more than knowing that at the end of the day you have something to feed the family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We do not have enough land to do farming or engage in dairy farming and as such we are food insecure. Also, we cannot engage in any meaningful economic activity that can support us. It is a struggle to put food on the table as we have to do casual jobs which sometimes cannot be found. The cost of a 2 kg packet of maize retails at KES 100 which to us is expensive. This suffices to say that we hardly afford enough decent meals, other times we skip lunch to save for supper.
