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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The prolonged drought exacerbated food insecurity in our region, causing people to go hungry. Give Directly recognized our plight and offered assistance in the form of cash transfers. This is the greatest form of aid that has ever existed, and I am grateful that they brought it to us. I do not see any flaws in their work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My son-in-law took me in after my house collapsed last year and has been providing for my needs ever since. He works as a school guard, and his salary is only enough to cover the household's basic needs like food. Although he takes great care of me, I would like to build a separate house because the idea of living in his space for an extended period of time does not sit well with me. As a result, I saved the entire transfer amount for a new structure. I'll start the project once I have accumulated around KES 10,000.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Before receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly I had actually gone to the farm because I wanted to ensure that I had tilled my land in preparation for if we got lucky enough and we got rains. I knew when the rains came most times it was hardly enough to enable the plants to grow but all I thought is there was no harm if I did prepare in advance, plus it was always better to stay safe than sorry. After being in the farm for a while that is when I received the message informing me of receiving the transaction but I found out about the details of the message after I asked my friend to help me read since I myself could not. Honestly speaking, I was glorious about it because I was not even expecting it. It felt like manna from heaven.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The funds have played a key role in helping me provide for my family. It has genuinely upgraded me from a situation where I was swimming in complete utter poverty to where I am not anymore. I am grateful for the financial aid and even though as of yet there has not been much great change, I am positive that soon enough the transition will be quite profound.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Back here in the village owning livestock and having a huge farm is a sign of wealth and not only a sign but it does help in acquiring wealth through farming and selling of the livestock after they breed which in turn earns people money. That is why I have always had plans to ensure that I grown my farm by further investing into owning livestock so that I could help in sustaining myself since I have aged and can no longer work as I used to before. Therefore when I received the money I decided to buy chicken and begin gradually investing in broadening my farm. Plus on the other hand chicken were affordable and since I did not have a lot of money on me I saw that buying hens would be most appropriate. I bought two hens each for KES 300 which totaled to KES 600. I also bought a packet of wheat flour for KES 150 and one kilogram of sugar for KES 120 since there was hardly anything to eat. I was left with about KES 300 which I still have in my possession and plan on using it for matters aligned with nourishment because back in the village starvation is the order of the day due to drought.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Where I currently live is not my home place. My in-laws housed me because I had no one to take care of me where I came from. Sometimes I feel like an outsider since I depend 100% on them from food to clothing. My wish has always been to assist in any way that I can but insufficient money has not made it possible. Receiving this cash will give me that opportunity to feel useful again and assist wherever I can. For me to achieve this, I plan to buy livestock that I might sell in the future in case there will be a need for any financial assistance from my host.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I had no one to depend but luckily my in-laws came to my recuse and took me in. Since then my life has changed because I have people around me all the time and I do not sleep on an empty stomach like before. This brought joy and happiness again in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Old age comes with a lot of illnesses, some are treatable others aren't. My host is not in any position to take me to the hospital because they also have responsibilities. My challenge is inadequate money to enable me to seek medication.
