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 relaxing with my family in the evening after a day's work when I heard my phone ringing, a message alert. When I checked the message, I realized it was an mpesa notification. I was not expecting anyone to send money that hour hence curious to know who could have sent money. As I read the message, I could not hold back the joy that felt since GiveDirectly had sent the first transfer. I thanked them the following day for their financial support.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We are always hit with frequent water shortages in our region and to curb this problem in my household, I purchased a 1000L water storage tank. My aim is to harvest rainwater during the rainy season. When the taps fail to produce water, then I have an alternative source of water once the tank is full. I will not be forced to travel over long distances daily in search of water. I will also be saving the money that would have been used to buy water daily. Having the tank also means that I will have enough water for my domestic use, which makes it to be the biggest difference in my daily life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my first transfer on buying a 1000Litre water tank to harvest rainwater because sometimes we are hit by a water shortage. I thus spent Ksh. 18000 to purchase the water tank to curb this problem. My children had also been sent home since I had not paid for them on time. I thus spent Ksh. 4300 and cleared the fee balance. They were allowed to continue with their after clearing the arrears. My son has been running a shop which has greatly helped us to effectively fulfil the family's basic needs. He is the family's breadwinner and relies on the income from this shop. I took Ksh 10000 and added more stock to the shop to increase the profit. I also bought a goat at Ksh. 2500 and added to my goat shed. This is an asset and financial security to me.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have had a desire of changing my life through business. This goes a long way to diversifying my family's sources of income by reviving my collapsed retail shop in the village. The harsh economic conditions attributed by the covid-19 pandemic led to the premature collapse of my shop and I am now engaging in charcoal burning to support my family. Resuscitating my shop will cost me KES 20,000 and I will prioritize on selling food products such as maize flour, wheat flour, cooking oil and sugar. I will use the balance to buy food for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Getting enrolled to the GiveDirectly program has brought joy in my life because I know this is the only way I will revive my shop in the village.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge I am currently experiencing is lack of a reliable source of income to sustain my family. My children have been out of school and at the same time my family has been going for days without food. This has denied me joy for long and I am always stressed by this situation.
