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 felt so much happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. People within my village had received the money and knew about it early enough before I did. It was not until my helper came and checked for me and confirmed that I too had been sent money from Givedirectly. Once she confirmed that I had received money from GiveDirectly I was overwhelmed with joy. I took time before I could withdraw the money as I reorganized myself on how I was going to put the money into good use. I was happy that finally I was going to be able to buy a dairy cow and put to an end the endless spending of money to buy milk which was getting very costly for me.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving payments from GiveDirectly is that I am more happy than I have ever been before. I got something that I did not and which I have always wanted.The dairy cow that I bought at Kes 45000 is like a miracle to me. I cannot thank God enough fir this. It has been 10 years without a dairy cow of my own. In between this time, I have had to keep other peoples livestock for the sake of having milk but they would come for it anytime they wanted to have it. I feel so happy and proud to have this dairy cow with me and it will always be a constant reminder of what GD has done to me.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 45000 to buy a dairy cow since I do not own one. I had sold all the cows that I had to pay school fees for my children and I had stayed without a dairy cow for almost 10 years. The cost of buying milk was too much but I had no option since I could not accumulate enough money to buy one all that while. I normally rely on subsistence farming to make a living and the little that I get is just enough to buy me food. Age is also catching up with me and I can do very little to make substantial income.I am so happy to have bought one and I am looking forward to it calving and producing milk. Once it does, I will be more than happy to produce milk for local consumption and some for resale to better my living standards. The remaining amount of money was used to buy food for my grandchildren who came visiting.
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access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am aged and dependant always on my children who also have their families to look after. It pains me that I neither farm nor do casual jobs to earn income to support my family of 2 hence keep on borrowing from my children. When I receive these transfers, I intend to use KES 50000 to purchase a dairy cow for milk production. From the sale of the milk, I will be able to cater for my needs such as medication and food for the household. It will be a pleasure since I will be able to fend for myself and my children will also cater for their families without straining.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Living with a terminal illness is challenging as you have to be on medication all through. With finances being a shortfall, one can abscond medication hence putting the life at risk. I am glad that In February 2022, I had enough medicines to last me the entire month thus I had no worry about my health.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Old age comes with several ailments that are somewhat expensive to manage. 10 years ago, I developed high blood pressure and diabetes which requires a doctor's appointment once a month. This is expensive given that I do not have a source of income as I depend on my children. For each hospital visit, I use KES 5000 and it's so unfortunate that the NHIF insurance cover is not acceptable in the hospital. It saddens me that I have to compromise my health by absconding from the appointment until I have accumulated enough finances.
