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 all alone at home that morning when I received a message from Give directly. Upon confirming the message, I was overjoyed and immediately prepared to go and withdraw my transfer since we had already planned for it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Even though I had along list of what to spend on the first transfer, the acquisition of my heifer which is about to calf is my greatest joy.I am hoping of a great future since the heifer will give us surplus milk and we can sell so that we can get an extra income.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I had discussed with my husband what to spend on the cash transfer, we were happy to purchase a heifer which costed Kshs.35,000.I had been buying milk from my neighborhood for a long time which used to be expensive since a litre was kshs.40 and it wasn't enough for my entire family.Obtaining this heifer has given me hope that it would soon give us surplus milk.I also spent Kshs.9000 to purchase some materias for a house that we had started but since we had run out of cash we had to stop it.I am now happy that it is complete and we have moved in.With the remaining amount we used to buy clothing and two sacks of maize which will sustain us for a couple of months.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been buying milk for domestic use regularly from the locals. 1 liter costs KES 40 and I have been using 2 liters per day. With no regular source of income, getting this amount daily is proving difficult as other demands for my family have to be met. Receiving this money means that I will be able to buy 2 dairy cattle for KES 30,000 and the rest of the amount to construct a kitchen and buy household furniture. These dairy cattle will not only provide my family with milk for domestic use but also surplus for sale.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. Payment is normally done at this time as I usually finish hairdressing most of my customers. The more the amount, the happier I become.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a family, we spend 2 liters of milk daily. I am a local hairdresser and my husband is currently an unemployed diploma holder. I do an average of 1-2 hairdressing sessions in a day and the income I get from this is about KES 300-400. This amount is inadequate to cater to all the needs of my family and as such, I usually fall short of meeting all of them. This creates a situation whereby I have to live on debts to compensate for those needs that I fall short of providing. This for me is the biggest hardship that I have faced in life.
