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.
Having a permanent house is the biggest difference in my daily life so far I can proudly mention. Initially, I used to sleep in a temporary small house that had its roof leaking. This is because it was grass thatched and old. The walls in this house were all cracked up and this made us suffer a lot especially when we had heavy rains. My children and I often felt sick due to the harsh weather conditions because the environment was not conducive at all. Secondly, there was no privacy since it had a single room. I am now happy because I sleep comfortably in an iron-roofed house which is well plastered. We are no longer falling sick like before and we are so grateful to GD for bringing such a great impact in my life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 4:00 am when I heard my phone ring. I felt anxious and a little bit scared at the same time since it was quite unusual for me to receive messages at such hours. I quickly checked to confirm the content of the message and to my amazement, I had actually received KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I felt very happy. This meant that I was finally going to be able to achieve most of my set goals in life.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent a large portion of my first transfer on buying some building materials such as bricks, some iron sheets, and nails. This was purposely for the construction of a new permanent house. My previous one was not permanent. it was leaking whenever it rained. To add on that, it not spacious enough to accommodate us all. I then bought some new school uniforms for my children and also cleared their school as well. I had to do this because they were always sent home to collect school fees. The remaining amount of money was used to buy some sufficient foodstuffs for my family and some other household needs.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a new and much safer house for my family. Our current one is very old and one side has already collapsed leaving us very worried about our safety and health because of the July cold season characterized by strong winds. Secondly, we plan to purchase three indigenous dairy cows. With the constant milk supply, we will be able to earn some income from selling the milk. Lastly, we plan to buy a big water tank for water storage which comes in handy during water shortage periods such as now.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My passion has always been in the hair and beauty industry which prompted me to take classes in plaiting hair. My classes are in the afternoon everyday which makes it the happiest part of my day because I get to do what I love most.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Our weakest area as a family is in terms of financial muscle to cater for all our basic needs. Due to the low rain experienced in the previous rainy season, our crops in the farms did not mature and most of our water pans dried up leading to severe water shortage. These commodities have now become more expensive forcing us to dig deep into our already empty pockets to feed and quench our thirst. On top of this, our house is almost collapsing and we also need to keep paying fees for our children in school among other needs.
