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 excitement around midnight when I realized that I had received the money was immeasurable. I was thankful and had to wake my husband up to confirm with me. We had a lot of plans that we had put in place a week before receiving the transfer as we were certain that GiveDirectly would deliver on the promise they had given us. The next morning, I attended to my usual businesses and later withdrew all the money in the afternoon from the nearby shopping center and came back home for further plans
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I received the first transfer is the renovation and the extension of my house. It is now decent, easy to clean, and so spacious that it can accommodate all the seven members of my family and with an extra free space at the veranda that serves my tailoring business.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The frequent repair of the walls made of clay on our previous house was so tiresome that sometimes I had to hire someone to help me out especially during the rainy seasons. On receiving the first transfer, I had to invest a huge part of it in the renovation of those walls and the purchase of extra iron sheets that I used on the extension of another room to accommodate all the seven members of my household and provide a space at the veranda that I can now use in my tailoring work. I purchased timber, hired labor that demolished the mud walls, and later paid others to construct the new timber walls at a total cost of KES 51000. I also spent the remaining KES 3000 buying dry maize grains currently serving us as foodstuff. I am glad to see the great transformation in my household and hoping to change a lot more with the second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have a small business of knitting school sweaters and hawking them around. I rely solely on this to feed my family and also to do other projects around my home. I am currently renovating my house and I have to start afresh since I want to replace the mud walls with woods, which is expensive for me, and receiving this money will mean that KES 40000 will go into completing it. I plan to buy a cow with KES 30000 so that my children can drink milk every day and improve their health.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have been saving some money in a women's group and I received my lump sum amount last month and immediately started to renovate my house using the money. This has brought me happiness because I know even when I get stuck midway, I know that I attempted to do something good for my children and I am hopeful that I will be able to complete it when I get the grant.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I do not have a reliable job and rely on hawking school sweaters as a source of income. Having a budget with the little amount that I earn is impossible because it only enables me to buy food for my family hence this is the biggest challenge that I am facing.
