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, still in my bed, struggling to wake up around 7 pm. My attention was captured by the message tone on my phone, which made me sit on the bed and read it. As soon as I saw the message, I was confused about where the money came from. I rushed to the other room where my sister-in-law was sleeping to ask for her opinion. I kept on telling myself that it was a lot of money to be sent wrongly to my account. My sister woke up and confirmed that the money came from Give directly. I was delighted to hear her confirm the message.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
In the African tradition, women are not considered in inheriting land, having been married and gone back to my family with children. My brothers are bound to chase me and my children out of my father’s land. The difference in my daily life is ownership of a piece of land, where my son can start building his home and start his own family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am currently separated from my husband, and I moved back home with my two children. Life has given me a taste of bitter lemons which most of the time have been forced to enjoy the lemonade. My firstborn son, sixteen years and in class seven, was mentally ill at an early age. The illness took the better part of his childhood, hence delaying him from starting school. After medication for some years, he fully recovered and now he joined his younger sister in school. When I received the cash, I used KES 40,000 to buy a piece of land. I bought my children’s school uniforms and home clothes with KES 4000 and paid their first term fee of KES 5000. I have been ailing from blood pressure because of the prolonged illness of my firstborn son, hence unable to even do casual jobs. I used the remaining cash to buy food for my family, which is the biggest challenge, as most of the time being forced to depend on my brothers.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My house is small and cannot accommodate my entire family of six people. Two of my children currently are seeking shelter in their grandmother's house. My bed is also small, we have to squeeze the four of us into the same bed.
Receiving this money means using 35,000 KES to build a new house that will accommodate my children. I will also use 10,000 KES to buy a new bed and a mattress that will make us sleep comfortably. I will use the remaining amount of money on food.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I gave birth to my fourth child in January 2022. He is a bouncing baby boy. This brought joy and happiness to me and I thank God for that.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My second born wants to join the school her sister is in unfortunately she will not join as I have no money to let her get admitted to that school. This has disturbed me mentally.
The prolonged drought has made our life difficult. I am jobless and the little money my husband gets from boda boda is no longer reliable as the boda boda industry is flooded and he can go the whole day without getting even a single customer. This has made me at times skip meals so that my children can get satisfied with the little food I have prepared.
