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 biggest difference in your daily life.
Having to buy milk on a daily basis for family use is not only an expensive task but so daunting too. Apart from that, we believe a man is not complete without owning at least a cow and this has been my feeling all along. This was until I received the transfers from GiveDirectly when all these changed. I used to own some livestock but I was forced to sell them in order to take my spouse through university. The biggest difference, therefore, is the fact that I am back to my original status. I spend no money buying milk for my family and I am a proud livestock owner!
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I powered my phone at around seven in the morning and got a message that I had received the transfers. The fears of not being able to fulfil my promise of paying a cow I had booked immediately vanished and I was full of joy. I called my family to let them know about the good news.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent the first transfer to buy a cow and three sheep for rearing. The livestock will, apart from supplying us with milk, will also act as an instrument for use in case of an emergency. When this livestock reproduce I may sell the young ones to pay school fees or invest in other activities. These cows also fulfilled my dream of owning and rearing livestock like I used to do before I sold them to pay for my spouse's school fees.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Venturing into livestock keeping is what receiving this money means to me. I plan to spend ksh 30000 to buy a dairy cow and ksh 12000 to buy four goats. I also intend to use part of my transfer to fence my compound into paddocks for grazing my livestock then spend the rest of my money to pay school fees for my 3 children in primary school next year.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am always happy in the evening after coming home from work to take a rest, now that i work as a casual labourer in a construction firm and the kind of work eg. Lifting heavy objects is quite tasking and tedious
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Education expenses for my spouse who is a PSSP student in Kenyatta university in her 4th year of studies has been the biggest hardship i have faced. I used to depend on selling farm produce to get money to support her education but since the year 2016, my farm has been unproductive due to drought and soil borne diseases. This forced me to sell all the livestock i had since it is my priority to see her complete her studies now that i promised her so before asking for her hand in marriage. I currently work in a construction firm in the nearby county as a casual worker so and the ksh 10000 i get paid monthly is barely enough to sustain the needs of my two children as well as paying school fees for my wife.
