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.
I used to live in a shanty house. It was an old grass-thatched house that had cracks all over. I always feared for my life because it looked unstable and would collapse anytime. I have desired to upgrade to a better house but because of lack of money, I could not afford to build a better house. This dream of having a new decent house was fulfilled when I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I used to see iron-roofed houses from neighbours and owning one to me seemed impossible, but through the financial help from GiveDirectly, I managed to buy enough building materials and managed to build a more decent house. Living in such a house is the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I saw the notification in the evening. When I checked to o confirm what the message was all about, I noticed it was from Give Directly informing me that I had received my first transfer. I could not believe at first until I confirmed my Mpesa balance. They had indeed fulfilled their promise. I felt happy because, through this money, my life would be transformed completely. I still remember that day to date as if it was yesterday.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
The biggest portion of my transfers was spent on purchasing building materials for the construction of a new house. Over the past few years, before GiveDirectly came to our village, I was living in a small, traditional grass-thatched house which was in a bad state. It used to leak during rainy seasons and was almost collapsing. I have longed to build an Iron roofed house for a long time now and I didn't think twice when I found the means to meet this goal. I, therefore, purchased iron sheets, building poles, nails and timber to facilitate the construction process I spent the rest of the money to buy daily food for my family and paying other household and expenses.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
A non leaking roof and buying of livestock is what receiving this money means to me. This is because, being a polygamous household where the husband is old and jobless, I am forced to survive on charcoal burning in order to provide for my children. The fact of my job is that, it is tiresome and low paying, hence, it can not fully support our basic needs. This has made me to brave in an old fashioned grass thatched house whose roof is leaking. The GiveDirectly aid has brought a great relief in my life because, I plan to use my first transfer in constructing an iron roofed house and also to buy some beddings for myself. The second transfer will support me in buying livestock and also to pay college fee for my son. This will change our livelihood and thus, living a better life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I feel so excited in the evening owing to the fact that, It is only this time when I get relaxed and share meals with my children. My morning and afternoon hours are very busy moments to me because of the tight schedules for the day. Fetching water from a water pan which is one kilometre away and doing my usual charcoal business including other household chores make my day tiresome. Therefore, I consider evening as the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Surviving on charcoal burning in my life as the only source of income is my biggest hardship. This is owing to the fact that, our husband is old and can not do work to support us, a situation that has made me to be the only breadwinner for the family. My job is very labour intensive and considering my gender, it has subjected me to ridicule from my neighbours. Therefore, I consider lack of reliable source of income as my biggest challenge.
