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 the money I felt so happy. I remember it was around 9am when I heard a message tone from my phone. My daughter in-law was at home she checked it for me. I felt so happy because I have never received such amount of money before. I knew I would be able to buy building materials and build a better house. I used to live in small grass thatched house which could not host all my family members comfortably. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
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 have build a better and spacious house. I used to live in a small grass thatched house which was almost leaking from inside. I had always wished to own a better house but I didn't had the money to buy building materials. I depend on small scale farming. Due to my old age I could not do any causal jobs and mostly I depend on my son on food. When I received the transfer from GiveDirectly I felt so happy because I knew I would be able to buy building materials to build a better and spacious house. currently I have a decent house and I sleep so well without being exposed to cold. My house look decent I do not shy to welcome victors into my house. My dream of building a house had been fufiled by GiveDirectly transfer. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards and enable us to own assets which could have taken quite some time.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money I received from GiveDirectly to build a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small grass thatched house which could not host all my family member comfortably. I bought a heifer. I will get enough milk when my dairy cow reproduce. Finally I bought food and clothes. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am very old and I don't have the energy to till land anymore. Food insecurity is a major problem here. I buy the food almost on a daily basis , I have been depending on the cash transfers for the elderly from the government. The money is little and it hardly last a month . My intention is to use the grant to buy food , it will sustain me for a longer period .I will use approximately Kes 20000 to stock maize and beans and then the rest of the money I will be using gradually to buy things like cooking fat ,sugar among others.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is in the morning . This is because when I wake up feeling strong and healthy it gives me alot of pleasure and joy having seen a new day . It is a great privilege especially for an old woman like me.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of enough food has been a big challenge. Our place is semi arid place and therefore producing food is not easy ,coupled with the problem of age old it has not been easy for me to put food on the table.
