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 in the afternoon when I was in my house relaxing after coming from herding my livestock which including cows, goats, and sheets. My phone was on charge which is a long distance from my house it had taken almost 2 days there. I sent my wife to take it, upon checking I realize there is a strange message indicating that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly. It was a happy moment for the family for receiving my transfer which was later cut short by the death of my dad who was sick and by bad luck succumbed to the illness.
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 am happy and well prepared for the next planting season since I acquired oxen for ploughing my farm. Furthermore, I now have enough food for my family since I was having a single meal per day which was a difficult thing for me. I was always stressed when I saw my kids sleeping without taking food.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 7,000 to arrange burial for my dad, he had passed away the same day I received my transfer. I also used KES 4,000 to clear the fees arrears for my 3 children who are still in primary school. In addition, I invested KES 35,000 in my livestock rearing by purchasing 2 oxen and one indigenous dairy cow to boost it so that it may be sustainable. This is will assist me in ploughing my farm as well as hire it out to my neighbours at a fee. Previously, I had to hire from my neighbours which were very expensive. I bought enough food for the family with the remaining amount of my transfer.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means upscaling my business. I do a business of buying and selling charcoals in the market. I use bicycle to transport the bags of charcoals from the forest to the market. It is very much tedious and very slow. I want to buy a motorcycle so that I can take the shortest time possible to transport the charcoals to the market. The motorcycle will cost Ksh. 90000 . I will use the remaining amount to buy one cow as investment.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest Part of the day is in the evening. This is the time am back from job and my children are also back from school. When the family takes supper together, I feel very happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Last year 2020 , my business was very much affected by the covid-19. The same year my wife gave birth. I had no money and food in the house. That made me go ask for help from neighbors something that was very shameful for me. That's the biggest hardship I faced in life.
