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 very happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. This was because I had never received such huge amounts of money before from anyone. I got to learn that I had received the money at around 6:30 pm when I was attending a meeting with some of my villagers within the village. We all got the money at around the same time and it was a very cheerful moment for all of us as at that moment. I later went home and shared the good news with my immediate family where we agreed on priority spending areas. We were so happy as a family to have received this money and for the things that we were going to accomplish with it.
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 now living a very stress free life having spent the money on the most needy areas and those that were a priority to me. Having paid school fees in full an having constructed our house to completion has just given me a lot of peace and made me stress free.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent KES 20000 to pay school fees for our child and used another KES 12000 to improve a business for my wife. Another KES 7000 was used to advance my farming practices by buying seeds and tilling land. Another KES 10000 was used to buy iron sheets for an already constructed house and to pay for casuals that erected the pieces of iron sheets. I would have had to rely on borrowing loans to be able to pay the school fees for my child and to be able to meet other expenses. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for making it possible for us to meet some of these expenses.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a new start for my farming practices. I am a small scale farmer and I mostly plant vegetables for sale in the local market. In my farming I usually wish that I could integrate irrigation so that it can help me during the dry season. I usually do not make any money in my farming during the season and I wish I had a water pan to help me practice irrigation. I will therefore use the transfers to dig a water pan and develop an irrigation system in the garden. This will ensure that I can carry on with farming activities no matter the season.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The dry period surprisedly was not very long this year and I was happy that it lasted only for one month. My income was not affected so much as I had expected.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My challenge mainly has been how to carry on farming activities during the dry season. It is usually a difficult period for me because I do not have any income and I have school fees to pay and other family needs.
