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?
The idea of receiving the money from GiveDirectly when I was told during the enrollment sounded to be fiction. Surprisingly, a couple of weeks later I saw a notification message on my mobile phone at around 6 in the evening. On checking its content I realized that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy for I knew I will achieve my dreams.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I now sleep under an iron-roofed spacious house. Previously I used to shelter under a small hut which was I a bd state and most falling because of the broken building poles that barely supported the building. Life was tough because some of my family members suffered a lot because of this, especially during the winter season. Finally, all these problems came to an ending when GD came into our lives. I am now sleeping comfortably in a better house without worrying bout the rains.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying some building materials such as several building poles, iron sheets, nails, and timber. This was for the construction of a new hose since the previous one was a small hut with a grass-thatched roof. I also cleared some school fee arrears for my children who were about to sit for their exams. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuff for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will be debt-free. I will use 50,000 shillings to clear my son's school fees debt of 50,000 shillings which forced him to drop out of his wiring training. I will also use 40,000 shillings to build 3 roamed houses for my 4 children grown up. This will give me the privacy and respect I lost for long with my wife.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The evening is the happiest part of my day. I always walk up every morning moving around our nearby market Center selling charcoal. Sometimes it forces me to go far and it becomes tiresome. When it reaches evening I rest and sharing meals with my 9 children from the incomes I got.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial problem is the biggest hardship in my life, I am working as a charcoal vendor, my wife is a subsistence farmer. We usually get an income of 12,000 shillings per month. This income is not enough to pay for my son's school fees as well as expanding my house. I always use the income to buy food for my nine children and in any financial emergency like in paying hospital bills.
