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?
Receiving a notification message that informed me of the receipt of my first transfer brought forth the greatest joy in my family. We were having dinner that evening but the great joy could not allow me to keep calm. The smiles on my face told it all and this led my children to focus their attention on me. I then informed them of the news, and they were happy too.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the hope I have knowing that I will soon construct a new house, spacious enough for my family of four. I am glad that I have already bought all the required materials for the construction of the new house. I am a fruit vendor but I do not earn much from the business. Being a single mother and sole breadwinner, it would not have been easier to purchase these materials. It would have probably taken more than 10 years to raise such an amount of money.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon the withdrawal of my first transfer, I obtained iron sheets, timber, and nails at KES36000 that will facilitate the construction of a new three-room house - spacious enough for my family of four. I have been living in a single room that has served my family as a kitchen, bedroom, and living room. This came as an opportunity to construct a better one that has two extra rooms that will give us some private space. I share a bed with my two daughters while the son sleeps in a neighbor's house which does not make me comfortable. I can easily monitor him he sleeps in my home and besides, it is not safe to walk at night. Since I had other household needs to meet, I paid KES 5000 in school so that I could clear the arrears she owed the school, and bought both myself and my children new clothes worth KES 6000. The remaining KES 7500 I spent on foodstuffs, mostly the dry ones enough to sustain my family for a good time.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I plan to build a bigger house because I live on a small hut. I will also buy a dairy cow to add to the one I have. I expect to be making about KES 200 per day from the sale of milk. That money will go towards paying school fees for my child who is joining secondary school today. I will spend about KES 50,000 on home improvement and 40,000 on buying a dairy cow.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Watching my maize farm do well means that I will get enough maize for food in my household. We have been receiving sufficient rainfall which means that I will have a good harvest this year, giving me hopes of feeding my family well after harvesting it.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Raising school fees has been a challenge, to an extent that my son has dropped out of college. He was required to pay about KES 20,000 to complete his accountancy course but my income is not sufficient. I earn about KES 100 from vending food and tea in a nearby shopping centre, barely enough for household needs.
