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 was busy with my daily cottage work when I received a message notification on my phone. I asked one of my grandchildren to come and read for me what the message contained. When she read to me that it was money from GiveDirectly, I felt so happy as I knew that it would help me build a better house. I do make ropes and calabash for sale so that I can earn some income for buying foodstuffs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Foodstuffs are so expensive at the moment and I would have struggled to purchase some. When I got my transfer from GiveDirectly, I stocked two sacks of maize that would take me a few months. Now I do not have to worry as I do have enough stock of maize to sustain me until I get to harvest some that I have on my farm. Before, I would buy in small quantities, and would be challenging whenever I had no money to buy some. These transfers saved me a lot from the expensive cost of maize, I can easily get vegetables from my farm and at no point, I can spend a day without food.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I got the money, I spent KES 18500 on buying timber, iron sheets, nails, and cement for building a new house. I then bought two sacks of maize since I had none for food and that cost me KES 12000. I also needed to buy some livestock for rearing and I acquired a heifer for KES 20000 and a goat at KES 3000. I opted to buy this livestock so that when they reproduce, I would have more livestock. I saved KES 1500 so that I would spend it in case of an emergency.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this transfer means improved Nutritional status when I purchase a dairy cow. I am old and sickly, my immunity has gone down attributed to a lack of nutritious food due to food insecurity. It has been my ambition to purchase a dairy cow that will give me milk and sell the surplus to generate income. So when I receive this transfer I will spend KES 30000 to purchase it and I foresee that my health will improve since milk has good nutritional value.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My sister bought me maize seedlings which I planted and I am yet to weed them. This has brought joy and happiness into my life since in the next few months I will be having maize thus reducing the expenses of purchasing them and dependency on other people for food.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge is that we are experiencing a bad economic times. Food prices have inflated yet I do not have a stable source of income. I normally depend on my chicken for eggs however they have not been productive due to a lack of feed. This situation has rendered me dependent on my children yet they have their own families to take care of and this has been bothering me.
