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?
I was at the farm tending to my crops when my husband came holding my phone in his hand, he was excited and happy, upon asking what the excitement was all about, that was when he confirmed he had seen a message in my phone confirming that we had received money from GiveDirectly, apparently, the transfer had been sent last night, I was so happy that I never continued with what I was doing but instead I proceeded home to plan on how we would spend our transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Upon receiving my transfer I knew that my life was going to change for the better, this is because I managed to purchase a dairy cow which is going to cut down the cost of buying milk daily, it has been a struggle because bought my husband and I don't have a reliable source of income, I am relieved that the health of my children would improve because of the surplus of milk. I am grateful for the support that transformed our lives to a better living standard.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a consistent farmer and my husband is a Boda Boda rider, together we are blessed with 2 children, I had a cow before but unfortunately, it died, I never had any other source of milk, this forced me to be buying milk daily which was very expensive yet what I could afford was not enough to feed the children, when I received my transfer I, therefore, bought a dairy cow so that I could reduce the cost of milk thus I used KES 35,000 in purchasing a dairy cow, I then placed KES 10,000 on my saving, finally I used KES 10,000 on foodstuff.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We live in a 0.1 acre piece of land that is inadequate for us to do farming. After we had constructed the housing structures, a very small space was left for us to cultivate. Receiving this money means that I will be able to buy 0.2 acres of land for KES 70000 for cultivation purpose. This new land will offer me an opportunity to grow both short term and long term crops like vegetables and maize respectively. As a result, I will have reduced expenditure on food in the long run. I also intend to use the remaining amount of my transfer to buy a dairy cattle and extend the size of my house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My parents are among the past recipients of Givedirectly transfers. I have been hearing great stories of how these transfers can transform someone's life. I was filled with joy when I heard that this organization had started it's operations in our location and I was praying that my village will be chosen as one of the beneficiaries. Thank God my prayers have been answered.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We have a very small piece of land to cultivate and the little proceeds I get is hardly enough to sustain my family for a long period of time. As a result, we are forced to start buying food stuffs as early as the third month of the year onwards. With no reliable source of livelihood, getting the money to cater for the basic needs of my family for the remaining 7 months is always difficult.
