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 around 7:30 am, I had just woken up but was still in the bed thinking about how I will be able to accomplish the plans of the day. I received a loud message notification on my phone that made me curious to know its contents since it was unusual to receive an SMS at that time. After checking, I was so surprised to learn that I had received my transfer. I was overwhelmed with joy for receiving the transfer because I had never received such a huge amount money before. I called my neighbors to inform them about the good news. There was celebration all over the village because of the transfer that we had received.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Able to acquire the construction materials after receiving the transfer is the biggest in my life. I am positive that I will be able to fulfill my dream of owning a permanent house. In addition, I am happy that I have enough water for use after storing them in the tanks.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For a while now, we had desired to construct a spacious permanent house for the family. This is because the one we had earlier was small, a temporary one that requires constant maintenance that is costly. I spent KES 36,000 to purchase building stones, and 10 bags of cement. In addition, I bought 2 barrel water tanks with a capacity of 620 liters. This will assist me in storing enough tap water for the family. Previously, I did not have larger water tanks something that brought a lot of challenges, especially during the drought period.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am living in an area where there is a scasity. I depend entirely on hiring motorcycle operators to bring water to my house hold both for my domestic use and for my goat's. I have been thinking of buying a water plastic tank to harvest rain water but the tank costs KES 47,000 which I cannot afford to raise. Receiving the first cash transfer will mark the beginning of water security in my house because I will purchase the water tank to rain water and curb the water problem in my house. I will use the second transfer to expand my farm by buying more goats to keep as a family business.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My goats have been dying one after the other despite the effort I have on hiring a local veterinary officer to give them treatment. On February this year, a friend of mine advised me to seek assistance from the county veterinary department at Bamba town.
I got a veterinary officer who treated and dewormed my goats and all are in excellent healthy now. I can describe this as the source of my joy and happiness because my goats were cured and I believe they will multiply in large numbers hence make me rich.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
A human being cannot live without water for both domestic and other uses. I am a farmer , keeping both indegenous goats and chicken. My animals sometimes suffer from thirsty because I do not have some money to hire a motorcycle operator to bring water. This problem of water shortage has persisted to be the greatest challenge in my house.
