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 am currently training to become a hairdresser at a nearby salon. At around 5pm, I received a message on my phone while attending to a client. I finished with the client first before checking the message. I was delighted to find out that it was an Mpesa notification, informing me that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. This support meant a lot to me because now I can pay for my tuition fee and start a business selling clothes, which will sustain me as I have been depending on my parent who does subsistence farming in the village.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Receiving the transfers has completely turned my life around. Two years ago, I was forced to drop out of primary school due to an early pregnancy, and it became extremely challenging to support myself and my child. I relied heavily on my parents and often had to ask for assistance from others for basic necessities. However, my parent, being a subsistence farmer, could only provide limited support. To improve my situation, I made the decision to enroll in a college to study hairdressing. The transfer helped me pay my tuition, allowing me to continue my education without worrying about fees. I am confident that I will acquire valuable hairdressing skills that will enable me to seek employment or open my own salon. Additionally, I have started a clothing business from home and although I haven't been able to rent a space yet, the profits have significantly improved my financial situation. I am no longer dependent on others and I am able to meet my basic needs and support my child without having to ask for help.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had a very different experience in terms of education from many of my peers. I got pregnant while in primary school and couldn't continue my studies to high school. Since then, I've been struggling to provide for my child while relying on my parents, who are subsistence farmers. I used to even beg for basic necessities, which was due to our financial struggles. Having a child at a young age made my life very challenging, as I had no one to rely on for support. However, things started to change when I received the support from GiveDirectly. With the first transfer, I used $250 to start a home-based clothing business. Although I haven't been able to rent a space yet, I move from house to house selling clothes. The profits from the business now enable me to take care of my family's needs without having to ask for help. I'm also training to be a hairdresser as a part-time student, with the hope of gaining skills that will help me earn a living. I used $50 to pay for tuition and I am now able to attend classes without interruption on fees. Additionally, I spent $ 70 on purchasing two goats, which I plan to breed, let them multiply and be able to sell in case of a financial need. I spent the remaining amount on buying food for my family and covering medical expenses for my child.
Enrolled
access_time 7 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I am a single mother of one and does casual jobs for survival. Life has not easy for me because accessing job has been a challenge. I lack even money to buy milk and other necessities for the child. I have enrolled myself on hairdressing course though on credit and I am suppose to pay $15 per month for two years. I will use $200 to start a business of selling clothes in the village. This will provide sustainable source of income for me. The market is good and I intend to make a profit of approximately $10 per day. I will also use $200 to pay for school fees so that I can continue with my studies at the college. The remaining amount will help me buy food and other necessities for the child upkeep. Give Directly organization has made me see a bright future a head.
What is the happiest part of your day?
When I got pregnant last year, I was isolated by my family only my mother used to support me. I really had a rough time. This year in January, my siblings had a meeting and decided to accept me as one the family members. Before then I was so scared and had fear of the unknown because the father to my baby had disowned me. The family reunion brought happiness in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Source of reliable income is the challenge I am currently facing in life. I am a single mother who does casual jobs and sometimes I can fail to access any job for almost two months. This makes me miss even washing soap for the baby. My clothes are dirty and I can not afford even buying milk for the baby.
