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 walking down the road towards the market when I received a message, but I was not able to check it right away. I assumed it was just a random notification from the service provider because I wasn't expecting anything. Soon after, I received a call from my spouse, who had heard the news from other village members and wanted to know if we were among the happy bunch. I had to confirm first, and then I informed her that we had received the same amount. I went to the market but couldn't spend the money that day because we still had to align our expenses with my family's. When I got home, my wife was still excited, and she needed the phone to see it and I did not hesitate to hand it in. We began planning and collected the following day from a nearby shopping center.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The availability of clean tap water at my doorstep is the biggest difference in my daily life. The struggle to fetch from the dirty dams shared with animals is no more. This has saved us both time and health because the water we are currently using is safe for drinking and all other domestic purposes.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We are constantly affected by severe droughts, which can last for more than five months without rain. Life has been difficult during this time because fetching water alone takes a significant portion of the day, and livestock may succumb to the harsh conditions due to a lack of feed and water. The county government initiated a water piping system, but few people could afford the cost of connecting it to their homes because of the high prices of the required appliances and installation. We were relieved to receive GiveDirectly assistance because we had prioritized spending $150 on buying pipes, paying labor charges, and installing the conveyance to the doorstep. Over the December holidays, our sons undergo the communal initiation ceremony, and mine was one of them this time. To complete the process, I paid $100 that I had saved up for one month's worth of lessons, food, and clothing. In addition, I gave my wife $50 to spend on groceries for our family of four. I had been relying on casual labor and had hoped to start my own business. As a result, I saved the remaining funds to be combined with the subsequent transfer and used to start an egg collection business. I have been scouting the market, and with the low prices in the village, I can always sell them for a good profit.
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My family is surviving without the most essential needs like food, clothing, and access to quality education for my child. This is all caused by lack of finances in my household. I am employed to work as a motorcycle taxi operator by a friend but the job pays as little as $2 a day. What can $2 buy for a family of four in this hard economy? I have the desire to start egg vending business where I will be buying them in the village for $0.1 and sell in Nairobi for $0.5 each. I have lived in Nairobi and I even have customers on the ground. I plan to inject t $200 into this business as I observe how it goes. I am hopeful that it will grow and turn the fortunes of my family in 2 years to come.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Life is full of challenges but I never miss a smile even in the face of adversity. Two weeks ago we had a funeral in our village which several people attended. I made $10 profit by ferrying people to and fro using my motorcycle and I was happy my family ate well for three consecutive days
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of financial stability to meet the growing needs of my family has been a challenge. I have been employed by a friend to work as a motorcycle taxi operator where in a day I earn $2 or even less. Prices of food commodities are going up each passing day while the money I earn is not. There was a time I was asking friends to lend me money but since I cannot repay, most of them are not answering my calls. The presence of GiveDirectly speaks hope to desperate people like me.
