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 was awakened by the loud vibrations from my mobile phone at around 2 AM. I was so surprised and curious since it was so rare for me to hear from anyone at that particular time of the day. I decided to check where the messages were from and I couldn't believe what I saw. It was the Mpesa messages from GiveDirectly. I was so happy and even decided to wake everyone up and informed them about the great news. It was one of the joyous moments in our lives and we couldn't afford to sleep again till dawn.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having the goats has made my life to be very different in various ways in my entire household. Being jobless, has never been easy at all, since we only depended on my spouse for the family's upkeep. He used to earn KES 100 in a day which was not enough in raising the seven children. We have been through a lot especially in catering to our children's basic needs like food. Skipping meals was the trend and the kids were always home concerning the school fees issue. I am therefore hopeful that through the goats all the troubles will come to an end. Once they multiply, I will be able to sell some and start a kiosk business which will now be my reliable source of income. I am positive that I will now be able to take good care of my family without straining any more.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying several building materials which contain pieces of iron sheets at KES 10000, building poles at KES 10000, and the labor charges at KES 5000. This was purposely for the renovation of my previous house since it was very small, and could not accommodate all my family members. My kids had to shelter at their friend's houses which were relatively far from our compound. Also, I bought three goats worthy of KES 13500 which will now serve as the assets that I can depend on anytime. In addition to that, I cleared the school fees arrears for my children who were always sent home regularly which could affect their academic performance. With the remaining money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been dreaming to have my own house for more than 15 years but because of the economic situations, I have not been able to have it.I depend on charcoal business of which the revenue I get from it is not enough to cater for all my house hold needs. We are 3 core wives married to the same husband and we are all sleeping in a single room ; Something which gives me a headache each and every day because I am lacking privacy and my children depends on borrowing a sleep from my neighbors' house every day. Receiving this money means I will build my 4 bedroomed house so that I can live happly with my 6 children like others.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I got a food relief from Bamburi cement director . 1 2kilogram packet of maize flour which is not enough to my family but I felt happy because it relieved me from that day's hunger.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My first born was born with deformit , I have been having rough time growing her up because she cannot care for herself despite that she is 16 years old. Getting food for my family is also a big problem to me and my husband because we depend on charcoal burning business in order to put food on the table. There is a water scarcity of which it has become a disaster in our area. All water pans have dried up and we depend on buying water from motorcycle operators which is very expensive. One jerican costs 100 KES which is too expensive to me and sometimes we go to bed hungry because of luck of both water and food.
