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 will now be using my own pair of oxen to plough my acreage timely and early for better harvests. I have been hiring from neighbours for long during the planting season which was expensive for me and in addition, I could not fully cultivate my whole farm. I am glad that I will no longer be hiring from anyone instead I will also hire to them at a fee. Owning this pair of oxen makes the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was woken up by a message on my phone. I curiously called for my helper who confirmed at daybreak that money had been sent into my mpesa account. I was instantly filled with happiness since receiving this financial help would transform my life.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent a larger portion of my first transfer to purchase a pair of oxen. As a farmer, I have always desired to improve my farming by using efficient tools. Thus I spent KES 30000 to buy the pair of oxen. I used to hire them from neighbours during the planting season which was costly for me. I couldn't utilise my farm fully as some areas were left uncultivated. I am happy that owning this pair will ensure that I do early and timely cultivation. I also spent KES 7000 to hire labor to help me in my farming since I am weak and old thus I can't do farming actively on my own. I am spending the remaining amount to buy daily foodstuffs for my family including paying for other important household expenses.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My desire in life has been to own an oxen and ox-plough in order to boost my farming. Currently I am relying on old method of using hoe and this cannot fully support me to finish preparing my 2.5 hectares piece of land in time, something that makes my produce very low. Receiving this money means a big boost to my farming since I am planning to spend $300 to invest in this project. This will change my farming system and hence increasing my farm harvests.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part for the day is always in the evening since I usually get ample time to rest. The rest I get relieves me the stress I had during the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity has been my biggest hardship since I am a widow and a sole breadwinner for the family. Considering that I have been depending on subsistence farming with old methods of land preparation, my produce has been rarely sustaining us for even one month. Since I am financially challenged, skipping our meals has been the order of our day.
