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 biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have built a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small mud house with my children which could not host all of us comfortably. My children could go to sleep in the neighbor's house. This was so risky because of the movement during the night. During the rainy, it was so difficult because the house which they used to sleep was quite far from home. I depend on casual jobs in the village to earn an income. The amount of money that I get through this was so small and could only gather for the basic needs. I did not have an extra amount to save to enable me to build a house. Currently, I have built a better house and we live comfortably with my family without any stress like before., We are so grateful to GiveDirectly because it has changed our standard of living.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment when I received my money I felt so happy I remember it was very early in the morning when I was checking my phone messages as usual little did I know GiveDirectly has sent us some money. I felt so happy when saw a message confirming that I have received a sum of 55000 KES from GiveDirectly. I have never received such an amount of money before. I knew I would be able to build a house for my family.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my first transfer to built a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small mud house before which could not host all of us comfortably, I also saved some amount for school fees in January for my children and the rest of the money I used it to buy a heifer and food for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My roof is grass thatched and during the rainy season it leaks.Getting grass to mend the house has been difficult because of the availability.Building another house with an iron roof is therefore my first priority.The next thing I will plan for is my children's future.I want the best for my two children especially concerning their education.My first born will be joining secondary school next year and therefore I need to boost my income to cater for his school fees and other needs.I will therefore invest in buying two dairy cows.My target is selling 15 litres of milk a day come next year.This will go a long way in helping me pay school fees for my children as well as satisfying other needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend the early morning hours till noon working in people's farm whenever I get work to do as a casual.In the afternoon I go and fetch firewood.I come back late in the evening feeling worn out.Casual work involves very physical work and therefore it feels good relaxing in the evening after a busy day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a single mother,the biggest hardship I am facing is raising up my children alone.I am a casual labourer and what I get in a day is not enough to fully cater for my children's needs.As a casual labourer you are never assured of getting work to do.I depend on the availability of work on people's farms.Another challenge I face as a single mother is taking care of my children especially when I am out working.This has forced me to take my children to boarding school which is expensive for me.I have no one to take care of my children who are in primary school while I work for long hours.
