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 biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the peace and happiness I have because I own livestock. With the livestock, I believe I won't be spending money on milk because after the cows have given birth I'll be able to get enough milk for family consumption. In addition to that, I consider the livestock to be an asset because in the future I can sell the calf in order to raise money for meeting other family needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had left my phone on the table while I was sleeping at night. When I woke up in the morning to check on time from my phone I was surprised to receive a confirmation message that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I felt happy and woke up my spouse to share the news with her. She was pleased too. We then budgeted on how to spend the money.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
The mattress I had previously was torn which wasn't comfortable sleeping on and at the same moment it was unhygienic since it had a lot of dust. The moment when I received the money I bought two mattresses both mine and for my spouse. In addition to that, I used to budget for milk daily which was so expensive and at times we could go for some days without milk. A portion of the money I used to purchase a dairy cow with an aim of benefiting from milk for family consumption after it has given birth. I also paid the school fee for my children who owed the school some cash, and they could be sent back home for school fee in most cases.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I used to be involved in charcoal burning and I spent most of my time in the forest for more than 3 months away from my family. This made me to lose touch with my family and I have not been there for them to provide the father-figure role. Receiving the transfer will enable me to move closer to them as I will buy a brick-making machine at a cost of Ksh. 6000 and open up the business at our local centre Mariango. This will enable me to supply the community with bricks for house construction at a fee and also be able to build a better house for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My day starts at around 6 am in the morning where I go to my farm to plough maize and beans. This makes me happy because my family solely depend on the farm for food hence I always have in mind that a good harvest translates good nutrition for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My 5 year old son got a skin infection after using a certain ointment on his head. This has made him to develop rashes and wounds that are very painful. Getting help for him has been in vain due to the fact that my income is low and cannot take care of the medical expenses required.
