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 7pm, my phone was off and had gone to have it charged at a neighbor's house who told me to check because he had received his transfer already. So, when I checked is when saw that I had also received mine, and I was so happy when I got the money because I knew it would help me address the challenges I was facing including medication for my wife as well as get a motorcycle which I would be operating as a motorcycle taxi that would be our regular source of income. It was so difficult to address these challenges because my occasional jobs as a casual labourer in a quarry, at times taking care of other people's livestock for a little pay or cutting trees barely could give me the ability even to meet my family's immediate needs. Therefore, I was so happy when I got the money because it was a very huge relief to me.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am so grateful to GiveDirectly because I longed for this program for so long since as an orphan, I had no close and immediate help. The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving money from GiveDirectly is that I can see some progress, especially the fact that I was able to get a motorcycle on hire purchase that I will be operating as a taxi and our reliable and regular source of income, I was able to build a bigger house for my growing family as well as provide for the medication for my wife. I am so happy and grateful because this could only happen through the assistance I received from GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the transfer which was KES 29000 on building a bigger and better house for my family which is a family size one because the one we have been living in is so small and my family is growing. I needed a bigger house with separate rooms for the parents and children because it is against our community's culture and traditions for grown-up children to share a room with their parents. I couldn't afford to build a bigger house because my job as a casual labourer in the quarry hardly raised enough money, and it was very unreliable as it could only be available once in every two months. I had to occasionally ask to take care of other people's livestock for a little pay, which was hardly enough to enable me to meet my family's daily immediate needs. I am now so happy that I have a good place to sleep, with separate rooms for us and our children. This house is so important to me because it gives me the opportunity to concentrate and focus on looking for and actively engage in income generating activities. I am no longer worried neither am I stressed, as I was before all thanks to GiveDirectly.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means financial stability. I am planning to open a shop. I will spend KES 30,000 to stock the store and the rest will sustain in paying rent which goes at KES 5000 per month until the business reaches a point where it will be able to sustain itself.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My strong my has been my inspiration, she keeps on instilling hope and motivation in me even in her illness. This gives me the energy to fight on despite the challenges befalling our household.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a laborer at a quarrying site in which I earn KES 500 on a good day. The money I had saved for the last six months to start a business was all spent on my sick wife who has been ailing since May last year(2021) This has been a challenge to my side as I spent all my intermittent little earnings on caring my sick wife. I am a total orphan with no close relative to seek assistance from.
