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.
Having started a business for my daughter has made my life to be totally different. This is because previously, she was employed by one of her friends and she was getting a very low salary. She was paid on commission from the little money they could receive in a day. Since she was our breadwinner life was so tough because we were depending on her in everything. Sometimes her siblings could be sent home to collect school fees and they could stay for weeks and starve as well. But the coming of GD had transformed everything since saloon business id is now doing okay, we no longer suffer because my daughter provides everything in the family from the profit she is earning. We no longer starve as we used to. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I remember very well it was around 2 am when I heard my phone vibrating loudly. I decided to wake up my helper so that he could check the content of the message. He realized it was an mpesa message from GD. I felt so happy and I could not sleep again, I was just thinking about how I would utilize the money.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying three goats. These were the well thoughtful assets that I have been longing to keep for a long period of time. I later paid school fees for my children who are in high school. Previously I used to borrow loans so that I could pay their fees and sometimes I was not able to pay the loan in good time which was agin a stress to me. I then started a saloon business for my daughter because previously she has been employed by her friends and she was paid on commission which was too little. I then bought a few building poles to renovate a small kitchen for my family because my house was not spacious. The remaining amount of money, I purchased some foodstuffs for my family and other households.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Buying livestock especially goats and cow, repairing my house and providing capital to my son in order to start an electronic appliances shop is what receiving this money means to me. Currently, I am just a house wife who depend on my husband's casual jobs but his income cannot fully support our family needs. With our efforts of educating our children, among them emerged to be an electrician but he has not acquired a job. My plan was that, the first transfer will be his capital to start an electronic appliances shop in order to have a reliable source of income. The second disbursement will help me repair my house and also in buying livestock. This will change my life for the better and hence, this is basically the transformation that I have longed for.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Since I am a house wife, I usually spend the better part of my day at home. In the morning, I fetch water from the nearby tap and when I am back home, I clean my compound and start preparing lunch meal for my children who would come for lunch. In the evening, I feel so happy because of the campany I get from my children. Therefore, I consider evening as the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a house wife, I majorly depend on my husband who is vending water at Mombasa. His job is very tiresome but he is forced to do it in order to provide for the family's basic needs. Most of the time, my children are sent out of school due to lack of fee and in other cases, we skip our meals. Therefore, I consider lack of a reliable source of income as my biggest hardship.
