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?
When I received a message that my Mpesa account has been credited with money from Give Directly, I was very happy. I was now sure that my goals in life which I never thought I will one day fulfill, have been achieved.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My family wellbeing completely changed to be better when I received transfers from Give Directly. One of the biggest difference is that I no longer worry about the availability of clean water for household use. The water tank I purchased serves both for rain water harvesting as well as for storage of water from community water supply. Besides, my grownup boys have also achieved privacy after I constructed for them a separate house purposely for sleeping. Generally, the level of stress associated with financial constraints has greatly reduced
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money I received from Give Directly to purchase a water tank. Due to the scarcity of water in my village, I chose to prioritize it. I also spent some amount to construct a new house specifically for my grownup sons since they used to sleep in the kitchen and spent the remaining on a few decent clothes for my family and enough foodstuff to last us for a while
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Buying a 3000 litre water tank @$210 for harvesting and storing clean and treated water for domestic use, building a two roomed iron roofed house @ $350 for my two sons who currenly sleep in the kitchen, buying 6 sacks of maize and 2 sacks of beans that would sustain me though out the year till the next harvest period as well as buying household utensils and clothes for my children, is what receiving this money means to me
What is the happiest part of your day?
Waking up feeling energetic each day is the time i am most happy. This gives me hopes and motivation as i look for menial jobs in the neighbourhood that would earn me some income at the end of the day
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Poor timing on the last planting season due to lack of money to buy hybrid seeds led to poor harvests in my farm thus insufficient food stuffs to take my family through to the next harvesting period and has led to a great struggle in providing food for the family. I engage in menial jobs in people's farms so as to be given food to trade my labour and this has resulted to my health deteriorating each day, which is the biggest hardship i face.
