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?
It was around 9 am when I was at my home cleaning up my compound. I heard a message notification on my phone. After checking, I realized I had received the transfer. I felt very happy since I did not believe I will receive such a huge amount of money at once.
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 am currently having a reliable source of income for my family after starting the taxi business. I am currently earning an income of KES 500 to KES 1000 per day on a bad and good day respectively. Mostly I use this income to cater for my household needs as well as save some for my child's education.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have desired to own a motorbike to engage in the taxi business to have a reliable source of income. This is because I was depending on casual jobs in house construction that nowadays it's rare to obtain. I spent KES 30,000 to purchase a new Boxer Bajaj 100 motorbike on hire purchase where I will be paying the rest on monthly installment. In addition, I spent KES 20,000 to educate my child who is in secondary school by clearing his fee arrears. I spend the remaining amount on basic needs like food. I am also planning to use my second transfer to start livestock rearing.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money from GiveDirectly means good education for my children. I have a girl who is a form two in secondary school and two children in primary School. Once I successfully receive the money, I will use part of it to pay school fees for my children,and use the remaining to buy two cows that will start earning me an income by selling some of their products such as milk.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is in the evening. After doing casual work for a longer part of the day, I get time to rest in the evening. I also get to chat with my two school going children.They tell me about how their day was in school as I relax.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of money is my biggest challenge. I have tried to open a business of selling fast foods for my wife to atleast compliment our family's income but due to the lack of money, the business is still unstable because we lack money to purchase the necessary inputs.
