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?
Receiving the transfers from Give Directly was a blessing to me and my family. I had so many needs that required money yet I was struggling to meet most of my needs. The moment I received the transfers was one of the best moments as I knew I would get money for my family's needs like food, school fees and building of my house. I was so happy and celebrated till everyone from my neighbourhood learnt about the transfers.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that my family feeds on healthy foods. Before receiving the transfers, getting all the three meals was a challenge since I never had a stable job, and in most days I could eat only one meal in a day, that is supper.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being a mother of five, I wanted a larger house that could fit all of us. I therefore used Kshs 30,000 to buy building materials, inclusive of labor cost. The space available is enough for us and my boys now have their own bedroom, this enhances good parenting as they approach their adolescence period.
Again, I used Kshs 10,000 to pay school fees, I had debts from previous terms and this could result to their poor performance as most of the times they were home due to lack of school fees. Having cleared the balance, I am looking forward their good performance in the next term.
Having a new born, I used Kshs 10,000 to buy food for the family. I bought food in bulk to avoid going to the market more frequently , to give me more time to take care of the new born.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always been thinking of starting a grocery so that I can contribute to my source of income for the family. I have a family of 4 members and we rely on my spouse for all the basic needs of the household. It is three years since we received adequate rainfall in our area and as a result, the effects of dry weather conditions have been causing a great threat to crop production. Due to this, I am planning to spend the whole first transfer to build a business structure and stock it will all sort of vegetables. I will be able to make a profit of KES 400 from the readily available market around my neighborhood because there is no similar one. A portion of the transfers will help me buy 10 indigenous goat so as to turn into livestock farming as well as furnishing my house. As the goats multiply, I will sell at a profit and cater for other necessities such as the education of my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I got married ten years ago and I had never been to Mombasa. In December last year, I was invited by my aunty to go and celebrate the Christmas holiday with her family. I went with my children and we visited several beautiful places in town. This brought joy and happiness because I could not imagine that one day I would see the Ferry at the Likoni channel.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am living in a two-bedroom house with my three grown-up children who are sharing a room. It's against our culture for boys and girls to share a bedroom due to lack of privacy. My husband who is the sole breadwinner depends on construction casual jobs which are hard to get and the pay KES 400 he earns is not sustainable for a family of 4 members. Due to this, I have been struggling to improve the living standard of my household since all the money goes into buying food. Therefore, lack of money is the main challenge that I am currently facing.
