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 harvesting my maize together with the laborers I had hired to assist me when I heard a message on my phone. I checked and confirmed that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was happy, but I kept it to myself because if I had told the laborers, they might have taken advantage by raising their daily wage. My first thought was to use the money to finalize the maize harvesting process. Thank you, GiveDirectly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I had been planning to buy a bed and mattress after receiving my payout from Kenya Seed Company for the maize I managed to harvest. My nights had been a struggle, sleeping uncomfortably on a worn-out tarpaulin and rags, and my bed was old and faulty. I knew I had to be patient for four months to get my payout, so my struggles would have continued until December. But lucky enough, the GiveDirectly cash arrived just in time, and I was able to buy the bed and mattress without waiting. Now, I sleep comfortably, and my nights are finally restful.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a farmer, and I usually plant maize for the Kenya Seed Company. The day I received my transfer from GiveDirectly, we were in the process of harvesting maize from my 3-acre land. I had lost 1.5 acres to floods, but I was grateful because some people lost everything. I spent $80 to complete the harvest and transport my maize from the farm to the assembly point for drying, shelling, and quality checks. I harvested 4,628 kg of clean maize, and I am now waiting for my payment. During the drying process, I needed a waterproof tarpaulin, which cost $40. Additionally, my bed was old and worn out, and I didn’t have a mattress. I used to sleep on rags and a worn-out tarpaulin, which made my nights uncomfortable and long. I spent $80 to buy a new bed and mattress, and now I can sleep comfortably. Thank you, GiveDirectly.
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What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
The recent tragedy of flash floods in our area was horrifying. I saw death with my own eyes, the experience made me think of relocating to safer ground. GiveDirectly's cash transfer will give me the strength of purchasing a 0.25 acres piece of land in Lororo which is high ground. This will cost $400 of my transfers. I am also thinking of venturing into Apiculture, I will use $100 to buy modern beehives. Despite the unpredictable weather in our area, I never lost hope in farming. I will use my transfers from GiveDirectly to cultivate my two acre piece of land.
What is the happiest part of your day?
It was until February 2024 when I demolished my grass thatched house and constructed a single-roomed house made of iron sheets. This was a big sign of relief for me and it brought happiness to my life. I had been struggling with a leaking roof when it was raining season.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Putting food on the table in my community is not an easy task. We experience extreme and unpredictable weather patterns which affect crop production. For the past two years of crop farming, I have been counting losses. I had planted maize crops on my one acre piece of land last year. I was hopeful that the food shortage will be a story of the past in my family. Drought season crippled in and I lost all my crops. Despite the losses, I never lost hope in farming. Early this year I gave it another try and planted maize on the same piece of land hoping for bumper harvest. Unexpectedly, we experienced flash floods which swept away my crops and left me with nothing. The only hope to put food on the table is casual jobs which pay poorly.
