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 so much happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was in my house at around 5:30 pm when I saw a message from GiveDirectly. I went straight to my son's house who confirmed to me that I had indeed received money from GiveDirectly. I withdrew the money after a week having reorganized myself on what I needed to do with the money. I would not have felt any happier than I felt upon receiving such huge amount of money from GiveDirectly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the fact that I now live a more happy life without having to worry about where I am going to get my next meal. Things have been very smooth for us even during these economic times where everything is quite expensive. I feel so much lucky and happy to have been part of the people benefitting from this program and being able to buy food and be happy with family during such times. We have come of age and all our children are already living by themselves.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 40000 to buy a dairy cow and used the remaining amount to buy food for the family. ught a dairy cow worth KES 40000 and used the remaining amount to buy food for the family I made a decision to buy a dairy cow since it is the main source of livelihood here. I have one but it has not been very reliable in terms of sustaining the needs of family all year round. It is for this reason that I decided to buy a second one that will make it possible for us to meet the needs of our family all year round. I bought one with a young calf and I am already milking 2 litres pee day.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We are old and stay alone. Due to our old age, we hardly engage in any serious economic activity. It is by sweat on our brows that we must undergo to be able to put food on the table but our feeble bodies do not allow it. The situation was further worsened by the outbreak of the lethal maize necrosis disease sometime in 2010. As a result of it, we are food insecure. We hardly afford a decent meal and it worries us a lot. Receiving this money, therefore, is a major boost for us since we will be able to buy foodstuff for household consumption and become food secure. We plan to use KES 18000 to buy 4 sacks of maize grains and use the rest of them to construct a better house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We have been through thick and thin with my husband and we have never had any conflict. Despite the challenges of life we have lived harmoniously devoid of any misunderstanding. It is never an easy thing to stick together since we have seen many families which have disintegrated because of family conflicts. We are happy and we thank God for the peaceful coexistence and we pray to God for good health to be able to live together longer.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Recently our daughter came home when they had a family dispute with her husband. She is still at home since the conflict has not been resolved. As parents, we always wish our children to live in peace, we are so much disturbed and agonized by the situation and we really hope that they will resolve the issue and resume their normal lives.
