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?
It was around 6 pm I was just relaxing at home. I had switched off my phone when I switched it on there was a message from GiveDirectly. it indicated that I have received KES 55,000. I felt so happy because I have never received such an amount of money before. I immediately informed my children who were at home and everyone celebrated. This was one of the happiest evenings we have ever had. We planned on how to spend the money and I went to withdraw the money the following day.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
owning a decent and spacious house is the biggest difference in my daily life. This is because I lived in a small grass thatched house which could not host all my family members comfortably. This was a big challenge that I was facing. I have always wanted to own a better house but I did not have the money to buy building materials. I depend on small-scale farming and casual jobs, This is my main source of income. The money that I would obtain was so small and I was not in a position to afford to purchase the materials. Whenever we had visitors at home there was no place to host them and this was so demoralizing. When I received the money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because this was the opportunity to build a spacious house. I was able to purchase the building materials and built a good house. This has been my dream all along. Currently, we live happily and we are no longer shy to welcome visitors like before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 30,000 on purchasing building materials which includes, nails, iron sheets, timber, and other materials that were needed. I lived in a small grass house that could not host all my family members comfortably. currently, I live in a better and more spacious house. This has always been my dream and I am so grateful for the support because were it not GiveDirectly all this could have taken quite some time. I spent KES 5,000 on paying school fees for my daughter. She is now studying well without being disturbed like before. I hope to see better performance compared to previous academic years. I spent KES 5,000 on purchasing a goat and two hens. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and household items.
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
For the past 5 years I have been depending on milk supply from my mother in law's house.I do not own a dairy cow and hence having access to milk has been a challenge especially when visitors are around. Being a mother of 4 I feel embarrassed and stressed during this time because I get a half a liter of milk or none therefore my children are subjected to nutritional problem. Receiving this money means I will be able to buy my cow at a co of KES 40000. I am joyous that this will relieve me of family conflict in terms of milking and sharing of milk.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a mother of 4 engaging in casual work within the community.In the past 1 week, I was offered a casual job of weeding in a neighbor plantation and I earned KES 800. This amount has been able to cater to our food requirements for the past 4 days and this has brought joy into my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I got married in the year 2016 and this has been the biggest mistake of my life. My husband is an irresponsible alcoholic who has been in and out of jail because of criminal activities. His burdens and mischief have resulted in him living a reckless life and this has lowered the family's esteem in the community. Currently, I am left with the responsibility of being the breadwinner of the family as well as taking care of him. This is tedious and emotionally derailing especially now when I only earn KES 800 a week from casual work. I have three children in primary school and payment of school fees amounting to KES 1050 per term has been a great struggle to me.As a result they have had to miss their classes and end term examinations periodically due to financial problems.Truly lack of peace and emotional instability have greatly contributed to my financial instability.
