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 the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was informed by one of my grandchildren who stays with me that the money had been sent to my account as earlier promised. The message came in at around 6:00 pm when we were preparing supper and I was so elated when I received the message. I knew that my plans of buying livestock as a form of investment was finally going to be achieved. I could not wait for the next day to come and I be able to withdraw the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the fact that I am more happy than I have ever been before. When I received money from GiveDirectly, I immediately stopped doing the odd casual job of selling firewood to earn a living. The excersice was so demanding but I did not have an option but to do it to be able to sustain myself. I often got so exhausted each day and I would end up stressed especially when I struggled to get firewood and failed to make any sales. I would come home feeling very dejected and helpless at the same time. I would end up taking food items on credit and the overall results was stress. I am happy now that I have had time to relax and eat well for once. I will always feel grateful to GiveDirectly for this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 40000 to buy four cows for keeping and used another KES 15000 to buy food for my family. I had made the decision to buy the livestock long before I even received money from GiveDirectly. This was so because I did not have any livestock in my compound having sold all that I had earlier to pay school fees for my children and to meet other needs. Age is also catching up with me and with the hard work that involved my firewood selling business, I slowly but surely was not going to manage doing the business. I am glad that the livestock that I own shall go a long way in enabling me make ends meet even after the transfers are over. Right now, I have had time to relax and be happy having stopped doing the firewood selling business. To me, GiveDirectly has come in as a form of blessing and a life changer too. I am so grateful and happy to have been chosen to be among the beneficiaries of this program.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I live next to Chepalungu Forest and our main activity is cattle keeping since the management of the forest has allowed us to graze our livestock inside. I have a desire to venture into cattle keeping on a large scale because the forest is vast and can accommodate livestock in large numbers. I plan to spend KES 50,000 to buy 5 cows each costing KES 10,000. This will be a good starting point towards achieving my long-term dream. Receiving this money will put me in a good position to start cattle keeping business
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a business lady who buys and sells eggs. The biggest challenge that I face is finding enough eggs to sell during market days. Last month I managed to get a total of 110eggs which I sold for KES 15 each and this earned me a profit of KES 800. I was happy because that money enabled me to buy foodstuffs like milk and maize flour for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Water shortage is the biggest challenge that I face as a resident of this village. This is occasioned by prolonged drought that leaves rivers and streams dry. The situation is made worse by the fact that I do not have a water tank to store when it rains. The distance to the nearest water pan is 1kilometer away. I have no one to help me carry water home since all my children live far away. At 69-years, I cannot carry a 20-liter Jerry can of water instead I use a 5-liter. This forces me to make several trips to and fro which eventually leave me exhausted.
