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?
The moment I received my transfer, I was at home relaxing. My son came to inform me that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was so happy and overwhelmed to have received the money in my old age. This is because I am no longer energetic to work or continue with the farm work. I am so happy about the transfer that impacted my life positively without discriminating against the elderly in society.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to construct a decent house next to my kitchen house. The one that I had was old and also far from the kitchen. I was unable to construct a house before due to old age and financial constraints. I am so thankful for the great opportunity that gave me a chance for me to improve my living standards amazingly. Words cannot express how happy and fulfilled I am to have achieved so much in a short time.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used to depend on farming to earn an income before, Unfortunately, I am no longer energetic to work on the farm due to old age. thus I depend on my children for my daily upkeep and survival. Upon receiving my transfer, I thought of building a decent house for myself. This is because the house that I was living in was old and the roof was leaking. I was forced to put up in the house due to financial constraints. Therefore I used KES 30,000 on constructing a house. I then saved KES 20,000 for my daily upkeep. I am so grateful for the transfer that uplifted my living standards.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am an 88-year old woman and because of arthritis disease that I have, I feel so much pain whenever I walk. The distance between my main house and the kitchen is a bit distant and my desire is to bring them closer together so that I do not struggle as is the case now. Because of age, I do not engage in any economic activity that can earn me money to have another kitchen constructed. I plan to spend KES 15000 to build a spacious kitchen that is closer to my main house. Receiving this money will enable me to accomplish my desire of having a kitchen closer to the main house so that I can move easily between the two houses
What is the happiest part of your day?
On 25th December last year, I was fortunate to be visited by my 10 grandchildren. They brought me food items such as sugar, cooking oil, wheat flour and so many other things. This was a good gesture and I was very happy to have them around
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
For the last 10 years, I have been struggling with arthritis disease which is almost crippling me. I spend KES 500 every week buying drugs at nearby chemists but that has done little to remedy the situation. The pain has been slowly increasing an indication that the condition is deteriorating and this is something that is worrying me. I have visited a number of hospitals, Tenwek included, but I was told that nothing much can be done because of my advanced age
