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 felt so happy and grateful at the same time the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. Happy because I had never received such a huge amount of money before in my entire life and grateful that we were finally going to be able to accomplish some things that had stalled for long due to lack of finances. I called my husband who had gone to work to share the good news with him and he was so overjoyed and grateful as well. I received the money at around 7:00 am and that meant that my day started well. We later on planned on how we were going to spend the money and we did so in a good and peaceful manner. We will always be grateful to GiveDirectly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is the support that I have received from GiveDirectly. Our house that was almost falling having had its walls collapsing shall now be fully repaired and help us restore the dignity of living in a more permanent house and a more dignified life as well. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish all these since the hairdressing business that I normally rely on and the casual work that my husband engaged in can only help us raise enough money to buy food. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that we received as a family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used KES 50000 to buy building materials that will help us improve our current house to a better structure than it is right now. I used the remaining amount to repair a motorcycle that we owned to be more functional than it was before. The motorcycle had been rendered useless after it got damaged and we did not have enough money to repair it. We thank God that we now have it repaired and sooner or later we will be able to start using it to generate income. The building materials shall see us bring back the dignity that we had lost having had our house collapse. Upon completion our home shall be more habitable and comfortable to stay in. We will always be indebted to GiveDirectly. My child and my family at large will finally have a beautiful place to call home.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My house which was built using weak wooden poles was infested by termites. This made the walls crooked. Staying in this house has made my nights sleepless especially when there is strong winds.I will be so glad to receive the GiveDirectly transfers as they will help me in the renovation of my house. I will spend 50 000 KES to revamp it into a permanent structure through reconstruction of strong pillars. In addition, I will set aside 20 000 KES for an iron door shutter and windows.
What is the happiest part of your day?
It is about one year since I got married to my second husband. Life has been good as compared to the previous marriage. My joy was made greater two weeks ago when I gave birth to a baby girl without serious complications.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I got unplanned pregnancy when I was in primary school. After finishing class eight, my parents forced me to marry the man as a second wife. The marriage did not work well. Due to abuse and infidelity, we separated leaving behind two children. I was later on married to another man(my current husband) who works as a driver in town. Though my education was discontinued by the pregnancy, I have had a dream of being a tailor. I shared this with my husband but he could not support because his salary,( 5 000KES) is enough for only food and other basic needs. Unrealising my dream has made me live a dissatisfied life.
