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?
No sooner had I left for the water point to fetch some water at around 4 pm leaving my phone to my son, than he received a transfer message on the phone. When I came back, he happily informed me of the GiveDirectly gospel and we celebrated together for receiving a huge amount of money during a hard economic time.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Sleeping well on a nice bed and a mattress was a desire that came through through GiveDirectly. Initially, I used to sleep on a mat which was not comfortable but since I had no alternative, I had to persevere. As of now, I am grateful to GiveDirectly for they fulfilled my desire through the transfer they sent me. I am now sleeping comfortably not as before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since my house was small, it could not accommodate my family well, especially at times when we had visitors. Therefore, I opted not to expand it but to build a second house. I bought 24 pieces of iron sheets for KES 25200 and some poles and rafters. I also bought 3 goats for KES 10500.00 and a mattress for KES 6000.00. Thereafter, I decided to save the remaining amount for my family's needs.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Improving the standard of my living is generally what receiving this money means to me. Currently, I managed to construct a 1 roomed house that at the moment is small to accommodate us. I have desired to expand it, also to reinforce it with stones and cement but this has remained an unfulfilled dream due to lack of money. With this cash grant, I am very optimistic about realizing this desire since I intend to spend my entire first transfer to offset this top priority. The other transfer will aid in starting livestock keeping, especially goats to have a long-term investment plan for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I had 2 cows but due to drought, I lost one. This angered me a lot but luckily, in December 2021, we received some rain and we could get water and pasture for our animals. Due to this, my cow is now doing well and this gives me a feeling of happiness.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Imagine raising a family of 7 members single-handedly yet my work is to sell river sand to earn me 2500 KES per month! This has been a very hard journey in my life and I am currently tired of this job because it's energy-intensive yet its income is not consistent. This means surviving by accumulating bills and whenever luck falls on me, I offset them, leaving me with nothing to save, something that has worried me about the future life of my children. Thus, the lack of a reliable source of income is the main challenge that I am currently facing.
