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?
I work as a domestic worker in someone's house, as usual I went to work so early. Normally while at work I switch off my phone to avoid destruction, immediately I finished the house chores,I decided to check on my phone,then immediately an mpesa notification popped up. I was so excited and had to inform my husband about it. I had to return to work to finish early so that I could get home early to prepare a special meal for my family. The transfers brought so much happiness to all my family members.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that I managed to take our son to a boarding school. Were it not for the transfers, I would have opted for a day school, which seems to be so tiresome as the kid needs to wake up so early in the morning and gets to home so late in the evening due to the long distance discovered.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a young parent of a 14 years old son, who did so well in his primary education class 2021. I used part of the transfers of about Kshs 30,000 to take him to a boarding school as this has been our dream as the parents.
In our area, getting water is the greatest challenge,I spent about Kshs 10,000 to buy a water storage just incase it rains, I store some of it for future use and to avoid using any amount saved on buying water for daily use.
Initially my house has been so dusty as it has never been plastered, I spent Kshs 7000 to buy few bags of cement to plaster both the floor and the wall, it now looks so neat till the neighbours are beginning to admire it from a distance.
Before the transfers we could not afford to eat all the three meals,my family could skip both breakfast and lunch and afforded only supper, since I received the transfers I stocked food stuff and this has been so beneficial as I do not have to go to the shop every now and then, this saves alot of time. I thank Give Directly so much as we can now feed on regular and balanced diet.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My daughter is in her final year of primary school and my son is in his final year of secondary education. My wish is for them to advance in their studies. This has been giving me sleepless nights and therefore receiving this money means a lot in realizing their dreams. I plan to set aside 30,000 KES from the transfers for paying their school fees. My house also has been a problem because the mud walls are falling off. This forces me to frequently repair them. My plan is to set aside 15,000 KES to erect concrete pillars in all the corners of the walls to act as a strong support for the walls.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My joy in the last six months has been seeing my children progress well in their studies. Two of them are due to sit for their final examinations this year. The support from my spouse and my children in paying school fees has been so encouraging.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Insufficient funds to take care of my many needs is my current challenge. The most common needs are the basic needs as well as education and medical emergencies. I have 5 children who depend on me. My spouse is growing old and cannot do most of the physical jobs like a while back. I am left to work extra hard to fend for them. I work as a casual in a quarry which I get paid 400 KES for a day's work. The work is very tiresome. I manage to work four days in a week. The much I get is not enough to satisfy all the needs.
