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 awoken by a message notification from Mpesa that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy as I knew that the money would enable me to accomplish lots of plans which I had. I had always wished to have a water tank but due to limited resources I wasn't able but when I got my transfers that was my first priority.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am so happy currently that after the coming long rains in our area we will always have clean water for domestic use as I got a water tank which can sustain us for a long period of time. Also the cow which I bought is giving us some milk and I no longer spent a lot of money on buying milk for use at home.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent pent KES17000 on a water tank since we receive low rainfalls in our area we had always been forced to use unclean and unsafe water for domestic purposes during dry season a situation that had always put my family in a high risk of contracting water born diseases, I am so happy currently that after the coming long rains in our area we will always have clean water for domestic use .I spent part of the remaining amount on buying a cow. I needed to have a cow for milk production . This is mainly because it is a good income generating activity here in my location. Keeping dairy cows is the most common farming activity only that I did not have one. I am now happy that I bought it. The remaining portion I spent on buying building materials for constructing a better house after I got my next transfer.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Our house is built in a swampy area and we have been yearning to move it to a higher ground or to a better place within our land. We are currently experiencing heavy down pour and we are in a deplorable state owing to the fact that water oozes into the house. We are therefore planning to use part of our transfer from Give Directly to built a house in a better place.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest of my day is in the evening. Since I am a house wife, there are also other duties I do such as attending to my garden of approximately 0.4 of acre (where we planted maize and beans) and looking after our 3 cattle. I do all duties concurrently and therefore I don't have specific time for each duty. The only time I am free is mostly in the evening after accomplishing the day's duty.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Due to change of climate, we have been unable to harvest enough maize in our area yet we entirely depended on it to fend for our family. Even though our house is currently in a deplorable state, we are planning to use part of transfer of approximately 300 USD to start a business of buying and selling maize. We will therefore use the proceed from the business to educate our children and improve our house. The biggest hardship we have faced in life therefore is change of climate in our area.
