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.
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Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 9am when I was washing my family’s clothes when I received a message in my phone. I wiped my hands so that I could pick my phone to see what the message was all about. I didn’t believe my eyes for what I saw; it was a huge amount of money from GiveDirectly. Since it was my first time money to receive a huge amount of money I jumped up and down while ululation due to the happiness I felt.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Initially my living status was not pleasing. I used to sleep on a small bed dressed with empty sacks and boxes; something that was very exhaustive. But since the time I received the transfer from GiveDirectly, I sleep comfortable on a nice standard size bed with a mattress. In terms of food, we used to sleep hungry for even two days. It was pity and hurting seeing my children crying of hunger but now we are have good access to food due to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I was living in a small congested house, the priority was to construct a spacious house to accommodate my family. I set aside KES 30000.00 to build a new house, though I knew the money wasn’t enough but I wanted to do several things at the same time while targeting the second transfer to complete the house. I also bought a bed and a mattress for KES 10000.00. This is because I was sleeping on a small traditional bed dressed with sisal sacks. Since I had desired to have some livestock, despite the weather being unfavorable for animals, I took the risk of buying 2 goats for KES 7000.00, ducks and chicken. I also bought a water tank for KES 3800.00 for storing water and some 10 plastic jericans for fetching some water and they cost KES 1000.00. Being a drought season, I kept the remaining amount for family upkeep.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a reliable source of income for my household. This is because I have remained a housewife despite having the skills of dressmaking. I have desired to start practicing my skills but due to lack of money, I have failed to purchase the sewing machine. I, therefore, plan to spend 15000 KES to buy the sewing machine to start this business in our nearby town. This will guarantee me a daily income for my household since there is an availability of customers. On the other hand, I intend to construct a decent house for myself because the one I currently have is not spacious. My plan is to spend utmost 30000 KES to construct a new house that can accommodate us. The remaining amount will help me to buy 5 goats to start livestock keeping that will act as my long-term investment project. Hence, a better life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The morning is the happiest part of my day because at this time, I am energetic enough to perform my work of firewood collection that I sell to earn a living. Unlike in the afternoon and evening hours when I get exhausted because of the tough work I usually do during the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Despite having the dressmaking skills, I am still unable to practice it due to a lack of money to buy the sewing machine. This has forced me to engage in selling firewood as well as vending charcoal. These jobs are very tiresome and low-paying usually 500 per week. Hence, the lack of a reliable source of income is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.
