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 was at home with two of my children. We were relaxing when at 8 am, I heard a beep on my phone. I checked it and saw the message indicating that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly. I was extremely happy and excited to finally buy livestock. I had been waiting for this for so long.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I'm grateful that receiving this transfer has enabled me to put food on the table for my family, especially two of my children that still live with me.
Before, I used to sell charcoal to earn a living. I would earn only KES 700, on a good day. This amount was not enough to cater for our needs, especially since we were not able to make sales every day. On a few occasions, my family had to go to bed hungry because we had no money to buy food.
But once I received the cash transfer, our lives improved. I bought two oxen and use these to work on people's farms. I earn KES 2,200 an acre. This has made it possible to meet my family's needs. I couldn't be more appreciative of how much my life has turned around.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Owning oxen is a wonderful thing for a family because it enables one to work on people's farms and earn money. This is especially a great thing for us because I am unemployed and often lack money to provide basic needs, such as food for my family of four. So I spent KES 32,000 of this transfer to acquire two of them. I also spent KES 20,000 on buying ten goats. These can supply my family with milk for use at home, and the surplus can be sold to earn money. It's amazing how helpful receiving this transfer has been to us.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means increased food production for me because I plan to invest 250 USD in buying two ploughing oxen. With the oxen I will use 2 days to plough almost 2 acres of land which would have otherwise taken more than a week. Other than ploughing my land, I will make extra cash from ploughing other people's land. The remaining part of the first transfer will help me sort out school fees arrears for my two children and pay for the next term of their studies.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is when it is time to relax after a busy day working in the scorching sun. I mainly do charcoal vending which is a very tiresome job.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship is putting food on the table for my family. This is because I have for so long depended on my farm to get food but prolonged drought has been a hindrance. I have tried to supplement this with charcoal vending but the returns are very little.
