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 awakened by the loud vibration from my mobile phone at around 4 AM. I was a bit shocked because it was not normal for someone to send a message at such an hour. I decided to check who it could be, only to realize it was an Mpesa message from GD. I was overwhelmed with joy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having have constructed a special house for my chicken has brought the biggest difference in my daily life. Initially, I have been practicing poultry farming but I did not give adequate resources to build their own house, and therefore I used to keep them in my own house which was unhygienic. In addition, most of the time some of the chickens were always stolen especially when I was not at home. This made me encounter loss and I was even thinking of quitting this time of farming. However, after receiving my first transfer all went well since I managed to construct a spacious house for them and this makes their environment to be conducive. There is now enough security and this assures me of getting sufficient products.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I psent part of my furst transfer on restocking my business of my seling sime clthes. I then bought some building materils suvh a or sheets, building poles and naisl fr the consfterction of a house specially fir my children because previosuly they was staying with them in my house which was not spacios. The remaong amount of money, I boiught enough foodstuffs fir my family thta could take us to the next harvstig sesosn.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means stabilizing my tailoring business because as of now, I lack the capital to stock it with materials. When I heard the arrival of GiveDirectly to our village, my hopes of living a better life got renewed and now I am a happy person to note that soon my life will have a different version. My plan is to spend $300 of my first transfer to buy materials for my business and this will mean a steady income to me. On the other hand, my wish is to spend utmost $270 to start poultry farming in order to have another source of income. The remaining amount will help me to pay school fees for my children and also to cater for other family basic needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day because it is at this time when I find myself having more time to relax and share a meal with my children. Unlike in the morning and afternoon hours when I am busy struggling at my workplace something that makes me exhausted.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income to fully support the needs of my family has been my biggest hardship. This is because I depend on making clothes but since I lack the capital to stock this business, my income is limited something that has affected even my children's education. They are always sent out of school and this does not give me peace of mind.
