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 around 5 pm when I was in my house relaxing after completing my household chores. I was with my helper when I received the Mpesa notification on my phone. After checking, I realized that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly. It was the happiest moment of our life and we were positive that I will be transformed for the better since we had planned to use it wisely.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Fulfilling my inner desire to own a piece of land for farming is the biggest difference in my daily life. I am confident that I will be able to generate enough food production for the family hence food security. Previously, the land that I had was very small and less productive due to the low fertility rate.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my recent transfer to purchase a one-acre piece of land for KES 46,000. This was because the place where we were living earlier was very small for me to practice farming as well as construct our houses. Similarly, our firm was infertile and could no longer produce enough harvests for my family's consumption. In addition, I spent the KES 7000 to purchase 2 goats to boost my livestock rearing as an alternative source of income for the family. With the remaining amount, I bought sufficient food for the family since I had no food in the store.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a widow living in a 1/3 an acre piece of land of which I have devided it to have a homestead and also an area practicing farming. This piece of land is not enough for farming and have no other main activities except farming in my area. The cost of land in my area is KES 50,000 per an acre. Receiving this money means I will buy one full acre of land and do farming. I will use this piece of land to keep goats and cattle which I will buy using the second transfer while growing maize and cassava in the new piece of land. I believe I will have food security and also looking for my livestock hence become economical stable in my house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I currently depend on charcoal burning business in ordered to earn a living. Sometimes I burn the charcoal but I do not get a customer to sell them to. This makes me to take goods on credit on a nearby shop . On march this year, I managed to have 15 bags of charcoal and fortunately, I got a customer who bout them in a good price KES 700 per bag . I got the money and paid the debt I owed at the shop. I did a full stock of food for my house. This is the source of Joy and happiness to me because I have food in my house.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a window, my body is growing older (65years) and cannot withstand any straneous activity. I depend entirely in subsistance farming, but due to the drought persisting for more than 3 years now, I rely most on charcoal burning business to put food on the table. I am sleeping on the floor using a matt for 7 years now. My bed broke and mattress was worn out. I own a piece of land measuring a third of an acre which cannot produce more food for my house. I have been thinking of buying another piece of land but I luck the money to fulfill my lifetime dream. Therefore being unstable financially is the main source of my challenges.
