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.
I have been able to build an extension of a single room to my house so that I can comfortably accommodate and stay with my children who have been seeking shelter from the neighbours at night for a long time. I managed to buy building poles, 20 pieces of iron sheets, timber and also paid for the mason for his job. I am at peace now because my children will not be troubled again concerning shelter, which to me makes the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the transfer notification early in the morning. When I checked the message, I was greatly overjoyed when I realized that this message was from GiveDirectly informing me that I had received my first transfer. I thanked them for giving us this unconditional money to improve our own lives.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent KES 23000 to purchase building materials which include 20 pieces of iron sheets, building poles, nails and timber in order to construct an extension of a single room so as to accommodate my children who have been sheltering in neighbours at night. I also spent KES 7000 to pay for labour. I had also acquired a plot of land in town which we had partly paid for its cost. Thus on receiving this transfer, I spent KES 20000 to clear the cost of the plot. I am planning to buy building materials in order to construct a rental house from which I will be getting an income every month. This will greatly help us to meet our basic needs effectively as well as educating my children to reach their goals.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will enable us to attain a stable source of income. I am a peasant farmer while my husband is into house construction. Presently, his job is not doing very well since most people are not building due to shortage of water.In a month the most that he has been making is ksh.5000. This amount is has never been enough to balance between buying food,paying school fees and buying other school items like books,pens,uniforms etc for all our 6 children. With this money, my husband will invest ksh.50,000 in starting general shop business in Mombasa where as I will invest ksh.15,000 to buy a cow and ksh.38,000 in purchasing two oxen and the ox plough to help me improve my farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is in the evening when I am back home to my family with some water. Pressently we are experiencing water shortage in our region due to the ongoing drought. We are forced to travel close to 6kms back and forth in search of water. In a day i manage to make 2 trips and only come back with 40ltrs since I have no money and can only afford to carry the 20litre jerricans on my head. This task is normally very tiring but once I get it, I feel satisfied that at least I can cook for my children,give them water to drink and spare some for bathing.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband's income of ksh.5000 is the only money that we rely on as a household to buy food,educate our children and even set aside a little amount for unforseen emergencies like sickness. This amount has never been enough though. Our 3 children's education has greatly been affected. They keep being sent home for fee arrears and because it is not always there, they end up spending up to one week away from school. This has greatly contributed to their poor performance in school. Thus financial constraint is the biggest hardship that we are facing.
