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 very happy when I received the first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was alone at home when I received a message and had to wait for my helper, who confirmed after reading through the message that I had received the money. It was around 4:00 pm then and had to wait till the following morning when I collected the full amount from the nearby shopping center.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the relief from the hard struggles my family was going through and the alleviation from the chronic poverty we had been wallowing in. The enormous investment in livestock has brought a significant difference in my family in that we have been enjoying a plentiful supply of milk both for the household's use and a surplus for sale.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I was glad to spend KES 31000 out of my first transfer on purchasing a lactating dairy cow to add to the herd of three heifers I had been rearing. Buying a daily liter of milk for my family of three has never been easy, especially during this season when the prices of other household goods have been high. At the moment, we have a plentiful supply of milk enough to sell some to the neighbors. I also bought a sheep at KES 3000, paid KES 10000 school fees for my daughter who is currently in secondary school, and obtained KES 20 iron sheets with the remaining KES 15000 that I look forward to using in the construction of a new house for my family. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the support and hope that the second transfer will come in handy in the initiation of other new projects.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will improve the living standard of my family. I use my house as a kitchen during the day and use it as a bedroom and share it with my two girls during the night because of its small size. This is a challenge because I cannot accommodate my guests whenever they visit and I am forced to welcome them under a tree. I plan on building a bigger one so that I can be able to host my guests, have a room of my own, and my daughters can have their privacy. On top of that, I plan to buy a dairy cow so that it can be a source of income. I do not have a source of income because of the state of my body and I have to rely on my older son.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I had a good harvest last season that I sold and got KES 10,000. I used all of this amount to pay my son's college fees and it brought me joy and relief because he can continue with his education without worry.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenges that I have is having a comfortable place to stay and paying college fees for my son. I used to do casual jobs around my home until when I injured my leg. The injury upon healing could not allow me to continue with the jobs and I had to do farming at home. The money that I get from farming is less compared to the amount that I got while doing casual jobs. This has made it impossible for me to balance paying the college fees, building a better house, and feeding my family at the same time.
