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 happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. It came at around 5:00pm but I did not have the phone with me. I had left it with my wife at home as I went about my daily hustle and when I finally came home that day, she was very quick to share the good news with me. I received the good news with a lot of happiness as well and called GiveDirectly the following day to say a word of thank you. We later planned with my wife on how to use and used the money wisely.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving payments from GiveDirectly is the fact that my family is more happy than ever before. I was able to touch everyone individually with the money and thus brought so much joy to me and my family. Despite the cost of living being quite high right now I feel that at least I can afford to meet the needs of my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 35000 to buy a dairy cow that is almost having a first calf and used the remaining amount to build a simple poultry house and bought chicken for rearing. I thought of buying a dairy cow so that it will be able to supplement my income and enable us make the lives of our children more comfortable as usual. Once it has its first calf it will not only feed my four children but also provide us with income from the sale of surplus. I am so much happy to have received money from GiveDirectly since this has meant that I do not strain too much on my motorcycle operation.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will be able to purchase a dairy cow. It has been one year now since I owned a cow. The one I had I sold to pay school fees for my daughter who is yet to sit for her final exam. So when I receive this money I will spend KES 35000 to purchase a dairy cow who will be the source of milk for my family and the surplus I will sell to generate income. I am glad that my burden of getting money to feed my family will be lifted.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I sold all our sources of livelihood to educate my daughter who is yet to sit for her final exams. My family has gone to bed on an empty stomach so that we get money to pay for her education. what brings joy and happiness into my life is that my daughter is soon going to finish her secondary education and I am hopeful that she will perform well and join university to pursue a career that will change our lives for the better.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge is food insecurity. To get money to purchase food for my household I do casual jobs as a motorcycle driver and on average my pay is KES 200 per day however, this money is not sufficient to meet all my household needs like purchasing food and educating my children. I have a small piece of land but not sufficient to do farming. Sometimes my family is forced to go to bed on an empty stomach and this is discouraging as a parent to see my children sleep hungry.
