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 5 am the time that I usually wake up with my school-going children. I immediately checked my phone for any new messages. This is because we had heard people in the neighborhood the previous night saying that they had received the transfers from GiveDirectly. My heart raced a bit with excitement when I saw that there was a new message. I opened it and indeed it was the SMS that we had been eagerly waiting for. It had gotten into my phone at around 2 am when we were still asleep. I was filled with so much joy on seeing the good news and immediately shared it with my family members who were so excited about learning what had transpired. We gave thanks to God and GiveDirectly because we now knew that the plans that we had made were now going to be fulfilled.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer brought a very big difference in our lives as a family. We were able to purchase a cow something that we had always wished to have. We now milk two cups which is enough for us and much better than when we used to buy it. We were also able to pay school fees for our two children. We have thus rested a bit and we have had some peace of mind having done so. The foodstuffs that we bought have pushed us for a while, and as a result, I have been able to save up some of the money that I make from the sales of vegetables. The money that I have saved has enabled me to pay school fees for the children who are in primary school. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for your help.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent most of the transfer money on buying a cow. We bought the cow at KES 30000. This was our priority upon getting the transfer. This is because we didn't have a cow, and hence we wanted one so that it could help us in terms of getting milk and in the future with the children's school fees payment. We had a cow before but unfortunately, it died due to some disease hence leaving a calf behind. As a result, we have been incurring the cost of buying milk, where we usually buy a cup or two at times when we get money. We were not able to buy one before because we didn't have the money needed. I am a farmer and the little money that I get from selling vegetables is what I use in buying food for my family of seven, and some household goods such as sugar, soap, etc. My husband on other hand usually does the business of buying and selling chickens and the money that he makes usually goes to school fees payment for our five children, that is, one in university, one in secondary school, and three in primary school. Other than buying the cow, we also spent KES 15000 on paying school fees for our children, the one in university and secondary school. With the remaining amount of money, we used it in buying food and some household necessities. We are thus grateful to GiveDirectly because we no longer incur the cost of buying milk like before.
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access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a better livelihood for my family of six. We own an acre of a farm that is too small to produce enough farm produce to feed my family. For the better of the year, we purchase foodstuff including milk and maize flour. It costs us approximately KES 10,000 a month which is very costly to us considering we are peasant farmers. The much that my husband makes as a chicken hawker, goes to meeting needs for my four school-going children. The one cow we have now is not ours, we borrowed from a relative but we would wish to have our own too. I, therefore, plan to spend KES 50,000 to purchase a dairy cow that will not only earn me an income but also feed my young children. For the rest of the amount, I will buy furniture for my house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The last three months have been our rainy season. We usually wait for these rains so that we could begin planting. I was able to plant maize in a quarter of a farm. It is looking good and healthy so far. I can only hope that it continues like this to maturity. It will go a long way in helping me feed my family come next year.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge is insufficient finances that are brought about by inconsistent income. The small chicken business that my husband operates is not sustainable as many people around our area also own lots of chicken. If he's lucky to sell, it is with low prices. Sometimes he is forced to track with chicken for more than ten kilometers to a bigger town so that he can fetch better prices
