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?
In my entire life, the highest amount of money I have ever had was KES 7000 which was my four months salary. I work as a herdsman and I earn KES 100 daily and I am at times given 2kg of maize instead of money. Seeing that I was KES 55000 richer made me so happy until the pains I was feeling in my leg disappeared. I knew that I would be able to achieve a lot of things in life with such amount of money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I work as a herds man and I am usually paid KES 100 in a day which is equivalent to 2 kg of maize flour. This is usually not enough to last my family for a day. Due to this, we're at times forced to go to bed on an empty stomach. The transfer enabled me to purchase three and half sacks of maize for our consumption. Due to this, we have been having three meals a day and I can proudly say that this is the biggest difference in my daily life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used to live in a single room that we were also using as our kitchen. Whenever we had visitors, they would see all our beddings piled in one corner of the house. This always depicted the level of poverty we were in. Mingling with my peers had been a problem as I was always out looking after people's livestock till late in the evening. My salary was KES 100 a day and this was not even enough for a days food let alone to save some with an aim of building a house. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 33000 to build a more spacious iron-roofed house. Also, I spent KES 12000 to purchase three and half sacks of maize, 20 kg of beans and other household necessities. I still have KES 7000 that I am planning to use in buying a goat.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I had a fall over 10 years ago which caused my knee bone to break.I then had to go for treatment which was a bit costly.Since I do not have an income,I had to sell the only cow I had to cater for this treatment.I have not been able to buy another cow.Further, I have not been in the best of health for many years now and I even walk with a limp as a result of the accident.This means that am not able to perform most manual jobs that require a little straining.Receiving this money will enable me to buy one cow at Sh 30,000.This is not only to provide milk but because herding and tending to livestock is what my frail body can handle now.I intend to do this so that its proceeds can substitute for what my farm would have produced if I had the energy to work on it.I also intend to build a better house with a part of my transfers once I get my share of my parents' land inheritance
What is the happiest part of your day?
On most days,I walk around the village looking for easy jobs to engage in in orderto get some money for food.Getting one is very difficult and if I do not secure one it means that I will go to bed hungry.On those days when am lucky to get a job,am usually very happy especially because it is an assurance that my most basic need- food for the day will be met.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Aside from the knee accident I had over 10 years ago,I have had other serious health problems which I prefer not to disclose now.My body is generally weak and I cannot perform most jobs.The only work I can comfortably do is planting trees and herding.Both are not regular jobs that are easy to come by.Whenever I get such,am paid an average of Sh 200 per week.This amount is too little and cannot even sufficiently meet my basic needs .This means that sometimes am forced to go hungry since I do not have any family member I can depend on.This is the biggest hardship I have faced.
