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 heard my phone ring at around 11:00 pm when I had just retired to bed. I informed my wife immediately that GiveDirectly had honored their promise of sending us KES 55000. She was overjoyed and we all could not hide it. We waited for early morning to come and revisited our earlier made budgets before we could embark on spending the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the farm that is now under irrigation. This to us is a game changer and we are sure to m na KE more money from our horticultural farming. This will see us make enough money to be able to pay school fees much more easily and be able to meet other family's immediate needs. We are so grateful to GiveDirectly for enaing us realize this dream much earlier than we had anticipated.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used KES 25000 to buy a young heifer. This is an investment that we always had in mind as a family since it is one of the most convenient and easy to implement empowerment program in our village. We used another KES 12500 to buy water pipes for purposes of putting our farm under agriculture. We live along the river Bank and had earlier bought a generator with my savings that would help us practice irrigation and ensure we reap maximmly from our farm all year round. The remaining amount was used to buy food, clothes and facilitate Christmas celebration in our home. We had one of a kind cebration-a celebration we may not have had over a long period of time.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I do not have a formal job to earn a stable income. Five years ago, I was employed by the County Government and life was easier then. I lost the job and I went back to farming. I practice mixed farming as a way of livelihood. Due to the low rainfall we receive, crop farming does not do well as compared to livestock. I resolved to majorly invest in livestock keeping after poor yields year in out. I currently have three cows and four dairy goats. My farm currently produces 6 liters of cow milk and 4 liters of goat milk. This earns us an average of KES 330 a day which has enabled me to meet my household daily needs and educate my children. Receiving this money means improved farming. I am planning to use KES 30000 to buy a dairy cow. This is an added asset in our family besides the milk production going higher. In the near future, I will have many offspring which will be my financial securities.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Farming being my livelihood, my happiness is drawn from its success. I engage in both crop and livestock keeping to increase my income. In the last 6 months, my farm has been producing an average of 8 litres a day which earns me KES 240. This has been my happiness all through since it makes my life better.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability is my current challenge. I depend on farming for a living which is adversely affected by poor climatical conditions and low prices. It is quite hard meeting my daily life and my family needs with these scarce resources.
