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?
As I was relaxing with my husband at around 3 pm after taking our lunch, I received a message on my phone. Since I am an illiterate, I could not even try looking at the message, instead, I handed the phone to my husband for clarification. Upon checking, he informed me that, I had received KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with joy knowing that the things which were undoable due to lack of money were going to be resolved.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference that I can proudly talk about is education for my children. The transfer enabled me to take back my university child who had stayed at home for a while because of fees. It also enabled me to clear fees for my college son who was completing his studies. I am grateful because if it were not for this transfer, I could not take back my son to university, and maybe the college son could have dropped out due to fees.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I withdrew the money, I first took KES 15000.00 and paid campus fees for my child who is also my helper. He had stayed at home for a while because of fees. I also paid KES 12000.00 for college fees for another son of mine who was in his last semester to complete his course. Since my mattress was worn-out, I opted to buy a new one at KES 7000.00. I also bought plastic chairs for KES 2400.00 because I had no chairs at all. It was shameful to welcome visitors and offer them some pieces of logs to seat on. I am now happy and comfortable to welcome friends at my home. My son had bought a secondhand motorbike for business purposes but there was a balance of KES 10000.00 for him to complete the payments. Therefore I gave him the stated amount to settle the debt and continue with his business. Thereafter, I bought 100 poles for KES 500.00 and 12 pieces of iron sheets for KES 15000.00 intending to construct a good spacious house. For the remaining amount, I bought some food for the family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
M family is quite big. I have a husband and six children. We dwell in a two-roomed house. There is no privacy and the space, we barely fit. With my children all grown, there is a need to build a bigger house but the constraint has been money.
I might not know how much Give Directly is to offer but I'll use that to put up a more decent house for us.
My husband has been saving some money for construction from his wine-tapping business. This financial aid will boost us a lot.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The month of November brought with it rain. Before that, it was so dry that our livestock died. I am so thankful for the rains because we planted some maize. With the help of God, we are looking forward to a bountiful harvest. We will at least have food for our families and sell off some to raise school fees and money for other needs like clothes and buying livestock.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lately, I have tried so much to treat ulcers. For two years now, I've been in and out of these small clinics in search of a solution that will last, in vain. I am in pain most of the time and only find temporary relief from over-the-counter drugs. I desire to get enough money so that I'm able to visit a better facility like Kilifi County Hospital, run the required tests so that we can nip it at the bud. This pain affects my quality of life as sometimes, I sleep all day because I'm too sick to do anything.
