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 biggest difference in your daily life.
Having livestock in my homestead is the biggest difference in my daily life. Through this financial support from GiveDirectly, I was able to purchase a cow and two goats. These are my assets which I can lean on in case of any financial challenges. Besides, I will be getting milk from the cow, and I am expecting them to reproduce and increase in number in the near future.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Where I stay, electricity is a luxury not everyone has it at their homesteads. My phone was off and I had taken it for charging. Upon switching it on, I received several messages one of them was a message from Mpesa indicating that I had received my transfers from GiveDirectly. I was very excited and overjoyed. We danced together with my family celebrating the fortune and a new beginning.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent KES 25000 of my first transfer to purchase livestock which includes a heifer and two goats for rearing. Initially, I had none but through Give Directly I now can proudly say I have living assets that I can readily depend on in case of financial difficulties. In addition to this livestock, I also sent spent KES 4900 to purchase a new mattress to replace the old and worn out bedding that I was using. I can at least enjoy a comfortable sleep unlike before sleeping was a nightmare. I used the remaining amount of the transfer to pay for my children's school fees in advance to avoid interruptions in their studies. I also did the shopping for my family's basic needs such as the daily provision of food and clothing for my children.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
The main economic activity here is raising livestock, this is what most depends on given that the climatical condition in our region favors such practice. My desire has always been to diversify the means of income generation. Yes, livestock does well here but there have to be other sources that can take care of immediate needs like food, clothing, health care, and education. Once I receive my transfers, I will invest in a kiosk business. This will able me to generate enough income, and that will be a big boost to my household given that we had been depending on husband's income alone.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when children are back from school. When they are home we share chores unlike during the day where I to do everything by my self. This to me is strenuous and am always looking for evening or weekends when they are home. Again having them around is never a dull moment, we share a lot of fun and that makes the evening the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of alternative sources of income has been the biggest hardship in my life. Here, we depend on livestock raising and subsistence farming as a source of income. And because of harsh climatic conditions, in most cases, we are unable to get adequate maize yield from the farm, this forces us to purchase maize flour from shops, something that is costly. Again when it comes to livestock, we spend most of our time searching for pasture and water kilometers away. Once I receive this money I will be able to venture into other ways of generating income. Opening up a shop is what I have in mind. This is something that I have always desired to have but lack of adequate resources is what has been the hindrance.
