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 can still remember just like the other day at exactly 8 in the evening when I received two messages on my mobile phone. Upon checking who had sent the messages, I realized that it was the long-awaited texts that I had patiently been waiting for them. I felt so happy and blessed beyond measures since I knew my daughter will now be able to resume her studies. Due to the excitement that we had, we could afford to sleep.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that the cash transfer has empowered me to clear the fee arrears for my family. Raising her school fees has been the main challenge I only relied on the charcoal business which was a temporary one. Being a single parent of three, I have been trying to make ends meet but this was sometimes not achievable. Most of the time we would lack some basic needs such as food in our household. This is evident that getting the required fees was not easy. I have therefore been depending on the government bursaries and some well-wishers. Sometimes I wasn't lucky enough and I would miss even a single coin from them. For that reason, my daughter has been hanging around for weeks now which was demotivating her but the good thing with her is that she was always optimistic. I am so happy to see her back in school without any inconveniences like before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 16000 of my first transfer on clearing the college fees arrears for my daughter who is pursuing a teaching course. This has been stressing me a lot because I did not have a reliable source of income that would finance that. Later on, I bought a piece of land at KES 24000 which very soon I plan to construct a new house. The previous one was not in good condition at all and it was almost collapsing. To add to that, I bought new clothes to replace the old ones that I have been using all along. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for my family and it's now a relief to us since we no longer skip meals.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a decent house for me. Currently, I am living in a small and temporary structure, I have wished to own a good one but have not realized this due to financial struggles. My plan is to spend KES 55000 to construct a two-bedroom house with iron sheets roofing. I will further spend KES 20000 to buy a bed and mattress to avoid the cold floor. The remaining amount I will invest in goat rearing because it is the only way I can save my money to earn me a profit when I sell them after they multiply.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the month of July I decided to live my own life after frequent fights with my husband for over 16 years. I came back to my place of birth where I have now settled. This makes me happy because I now live a peaceful life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial struggles are the current challenges that I am facing. This is because I am a charcoal burner a job that earns me KES 500 per week. This money can not fully all my household expenses. I occasionally skip meals or even borrow from other relatives something that stresses me a lot.
