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 early in the morning and I was still in bed when I received a message alert on my phone. My wife had just woken up so as to prepare breakfast for the family. I became so happy upon reading its contents and I knew that I would finally be able to boost my business. I informed my spouse about the good news and she was equally overwhelmed with happiness and reminded me that we should spend it as we had planned earlier on.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Life has been easy ever since we received our transfer. This is because we no longer lack some basic things like soap, sugar, and food. This has been possible because my income from the goat business has increased since I was able to spend more than 50% of my transfer to boost it. I am happy that apart from feeding well, we always dress in clean clothes unlike before when we would wear a pair of clothing for three days before washing it.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used to operate a business of buying and selling goats but I had nearly exhausted all the capital on school fees for our two children and on our basic needs. Due to this, I had not been able to achieve some of our goals since I depend on one source of income. Aside from being the breadwinner for my family, we had decided with my wife that she should stay at home while I fend for the family. When I received my first transfer, I spent KES 20000 to buy a dairy cow since I had only one. I will be alternating their breeding period so that my family will have enough milk supply throughout the year. With this, I will not be forced to buy milk for some time hence I can concentrate on other things. I am happy that with the transfer, I was able to spend KES 30000 to boost this business after buying a dairy cow and spent the remaining amount on food and clothes for our children.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have two dairy cows that are a constant source of income for the household. From selling milk, I earn about KES 200. This is what I spend on meeting my needs, mainly food and clothing for my children as well. However, it is not enough, receiving this money means an increased income because I will buy two heifers at about KES 40,000. I will then spend the rest of the money on starting a business trading sheep. In essence, GiveDirectly will increase and enable me to have new ways of earning a decent income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last six months, my joy has come from the home improvement that I undertook. I used to live in a small mud hut but now I have a bigger and better-looking house made of iron roofs. I am happy that I have a beautiful home just like the rest of the people in the village.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge that I face in my life is lack of capital to start a livestock trading business. I have always desired to increase my income sources, by selling sheep in a nearby market. If I receive this money, I will start it and ensure that I get about KES 5000 per week..
