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 can remember very well that I was on my way home from clinic where I had taken my child who was not feeling well for check up when I received message. Eager to know who it was from, I opened the messager only to find that it was the cash transfer message. I was so happy and called my husband to inform him since I couldn't keep this good news to myself until evening.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
How would I have managed to build a bigger house if it wasn't for the transfers? There was no way! For the first time, I am enjoying my privacy as a parent and I am very happy about it. For the last one month, we have been managing to have three meals a day something that we had missed for the longest time. My family is so grateful to GiveDirectly for the support it has given us and we don't take it for granted.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Living in a small single room with my husband and our two children is not something that we enjoyed because as parents, we have never had our privacy. Our biggest wish was to build a bigger house so that we can have enough shared space that we could enjoy but this seemed like a nightmare because we couldn't afford to raise enough money towards such a project. My husband being a casual labourer working mainly on construction and the sole provider of the family, all he could afford for his family was basic needs. Being enrolled in the program was a perfect opportunity for us to achieve our long life dream. I spend KES 53000 to add another room to my single room house and the balance to buy a bundle of maize floor which is enough to take us for a whole month. I'm happy that I now have a separate room and I can enjoy my privacy.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am sleeping in a small and pathetic house, despite all the efforts to save so that I could build a good house, all have been fruitless as any penny acquired I spend it on food and health. Receiving this money using 30,000 KES to build a two-bedroom house and 10,000 KES on beddings. I will use the rest of the money on food.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Immediately after the Christmas celebrations of 2021, I gave birth to a bouncing baby girl. This brought a lot of joy and happiness not only to me but also to my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Putting food on the table is currently a challenge, my husband is the sole breadwinner in this house and he is a casual labourer at times he goes even a week without getting any job. Being a breastfeeding mother makes me have little milk for my child as I am not getting the right food supplements that will make me have enough milk for the child.
