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 biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the fact that I now own a piece of land that I was paying for. It is now mine since I have completed the payment and in the process of obtaining the legal documents to certify that the property belongs to our family. Thank you GiveDirectly for the great help.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I really was very happy when I received a confirmation message from the service provider that I have received the money from GiveDirectly. We took time to pray to thank God that we had received the transfer before laying down plans on the usage of the money. Everyone's face was really bright with my children not left out since they were full of joy. We are still thanking God as we wait for the second transfer so that we may try and complete the projects which we started with the first transfer.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
Before I received the transfers I was struggling to complete the payment of the small piece of land which we were purchasing. When I received I saw it good to spend part of the money in paying for that small piece of land. I used part of the remaining in buying a heifer worth 21000 KES and used the remaining in buying bedding and clothing for all the children in our household. We are thankful to GiveDirectly for the great favor they gave us in our village.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Last year I bought a half an acre piece of land in a neighboring village. However I do not own it yet due to pending arrears. I am planning to spend my first transfer to clear the balance and process transfer of the land's ownership to my name. Acquisition of this land was far out of sight due to lack of finances but thanks to GiveDirectly this is a dream come true.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is late in the evening when I have retired to bed. I do casual labour as a cook at a white man's plantation more than ten kilometres away. My day involves waking up early at 4:30 am to trek there only to return home at dusk. Thus late evening is the only time left for me to rest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a casual labour. I work at a white man's plantation more than 10 kilometers away. Every day, I wake up at 4:30 am to prepare breakfast and lunch for my children before taking on a two-hour trek to my work station. I would later come back late in the evening exhausted with the idea of repeating the same the next day. All this hectic routine thanks to a harsh climatic conditions in our area that has seen crops fail to germinate every year due to lack of water. The wages I get at the end of the month is spent repaying debts I had accumulated throughout the month. There's nothing left to safe since I still have to pay fees for my three children. It's even harder given the fact that am a single mother. This is the biggest hardship I've faced in my life.
