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 glad when I first received the first transfer from GiveDirectly. It was around 11:00 am when I got the message with my spouse at home; we had to read through it, and to be sure; I had to check the account balance, which showed the exact information reflected in the message. After aligning all we had to do, we collected the entire amount from the nearby shopping center at 2:00 pm that afternoon.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the great construction work that is currently ongoing. I am glad that my family of four will soon be enjoying an ample space that we have not been having since. I am grateful and hope to complete the construction in the next few weeks.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After a discussion and agreement with my family, we spent KES 28300 to construct a new house after buying 24 iron sheets, nails, and also sourcing building poles and timber. I also paid the labor charges of KES 4000 and even though the construction is not complete, I hope to see it completed in the next few weeks. I had been living with my family of four in a single house that we saw it necessary to put up a new and spacious one. In addition, I spent KES 5000 on obtaining pieces of equipment that include a solar panel, wet battery, and also lighting bulbs that we will be using once the construction is complete. I saved the remaining amount and has been useful in settling any raising costs in the construction work.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Imagine a single grass-thatched house with a family of five. This limits our privacy and makes us feel embarrassed now that we sleep in the same house with our grown-up children. We depend on casual work like weeding farms to earn a living. With this work, I earn about KES 250 daily which is not enough for us. This is making it difficult to build a better house for my family. I see the hope of having a better house for my family with this money. I will plan KES 50,000 to build a two-roomed house which will accommodate us well. In our area milk is in high demand and thus provides a stable source of income for many families. I will therefore prioritize buying a dairy cow with KES 40,000 to enable me to tap a more stable income for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In March I had a bumper harvest. I was happy now that the struggle of working casually to put food on the table for my family of five has lessened.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Weeding farms to earn a living is my main source of income. These jobs earn little income of about KES 250 daily. This is making me struggle financially to support my family. My life is stressful now that I am the sole breadwinner.
