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 still remember it was around 4 PM when I was at my daily hustle( burning and selling charcoal) when my mobile phone started ringing so loudly. Since I couldn't read on my own I asked my son to check for me who it was. On checking, he realized that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I was super excited and without wasting time, we started planning on how to spend it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life that I can talk of is the fact that I now have assets in form of livestock that I can rely on. I settled for goats because they reproduce twice a year and their offspring mature twice a year which is a plus for me. Also, the climate is very favorable for them and their pastures are readily available in my region. Therefore very soon I am sure they will multiply and I will have many of them. Since I am a widow, of four children, I have been relying on temporary jobs which were not lucrative and I felt the goats would be the best option for me since I will gain a lot from them. I have been having a challenge in paying their fees, providing the daily meal, and other basic needs. Therefore I plan to start a business of buying and selling goats which I believe will make good profits. The goats always have high demands and I am certain this business will be so lucrative and I will be able to sort all the household expenses with ease unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on paying school fees for my children are in college and secondary schools respectively. In total, I cleared the arrears of KES 15000 and bought them new stationeries which has made their learning so smooth. Also, I bought three goats at KES 10000 which have started reproducing, and very soon I am assured of having many of them. To add to that I cleared a debt of KES 6000 to a friend which has reduced restored my dignity. Also, we paid a dowry of KES 20000 for my daughter-in-law since my son had no stable job and he was always frustrated by his in-laws. With the remaining amount, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a widow with a family of two children. One is in secondary school and the other one is in primary school. Raising these children has never been easy for me considering that I have no stable source of income. My late husband used to provide for us but since he passed on, the responsibility landed on me. My main source of income is charcoal burning business which earns me less than 3000 KES a month. This amount is very little to save and educate my children. This has made my children to be on and off school due to fee arrears. My ambition has been to get money that I will use to educate my children. Receiving this money therefore, means paying school fees for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My biggest challenge has been getting money to pay school fees for my children. One day around three months ago, my daughter who is in class six was sent home due to lack of school fees. He stayed for a week. Fortunately, one of my brothers just sent me 6000 KES. I had a fee balance of 4000 KES. I cleared the balance and my daughter went back to school. I then used the remaining amount to buy food. This brought joy and happiness to me because I suffered a lot of stress not knowing where to get this money from.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of money to pay school fees for my children is the main challenge that I am facing currently. Imagine being a widow with a family of two children. All of them are attending school but you have no money to pay for their basic education. This is the current situation that I am currently in. Over the years, I have been depending on subsistence farming. However, due to the prolonged drought in our village, this is not possible. I am now forced to do charcoal burning business which is illegal but because it is the only means for survival in our village, I have no choice. This business earns me less than 3000 KES a month which is not enough to meet my basic needs. My ambition has been to get an alternative source of income that I can use to save and educate my children. Upon receiving this money, I will buy ten goats that will cost 30000 KES which I will sell in the market when they multiply and save to educate my children.
