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 woken by a phone call from a neighbour at around 6:30 am asking if I had received the cash. Before I could check to confirm, I realised that I had missed five other calls from other friends within the village who wanted to confirm the same. My heart pounded and trembled a bit scared that I may not have received the cash,but an unopened message box on my screen once I left the call log put me at ease because I knew it had to be the confirmation message.That was the best message I have ever received in my life and I had to read it over and over again to confirm the figures. I then checked my m-pesa balance just to be sure it was real, and indeed it was. I manage to control myself from leaving for the nearest town to withdraw the money at that particular moment until around 7 am after I had shared the text with my younger brother.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Receiving the transfer has completely turned my life around in a way that I never thought possible. I used to live in a small grass-thatched house that was my biggest problem. I depended on small unreliable jobs such as motorcycle taxi business which I had to quit after I was involved in a grisly accident and then later switched casual construction jobs after my recovery. These jobs could not provide enough money to care of my family's basic needs and pay my brother's school fees,so I set it aside the need to construct a better house and took care of the most urgent needs. Am living a stress free life now that I have a better house and I know that my brother's fees are also covered. I can now focus my attention to other stuff like finding myself a wife.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have managed to construct a new iron-roofed house that is very spacious and decent. The previous one I had was grass-thatched and very small therefore not able to comfortably accommodate my family. It was also very embarrassing for a young man like me to be living in such a house, which was the biggest reason I had not managed to marry as I was regarded as a very poor person. I spent part of the transfer on foodstuff and other basic requirements such as clothing then saved the rest so that I can be able to pay my brother's school fees once the schools reopen after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been struggling to pay school fees for my younger brother who is in Secondary School since my parents left us and went somewhere else far from the village where no one knows where. I am motorcycle rider and I get between $2.50 and $3 a day as income which is hardly enough to cater for School fees and the entire family's needs. Therefore, receiving this money mean I will be able to improve my sibling's life by educating him through Secondary School and even to college.
What is the happiest part of your day?
As a motorcycle operator, my day starts early in the morning by going to the nearby centre to look for customers. Since many people have ventured into motorcycle business, I had to operate it until late in the evening in order to raise enough cash to sustain the family. I feel rejuvenated in the evening after coming home with food for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My parents left us about 8 years ago when we were still young to a place where no one knows. The reason why they left us has remained a misery and we had to depend on relatives and well wishers for education and meet other domestic expenses/needs. After completing my Secondary education, I had to chip in in paying School fees of my younger brother by operating a motorcycle as casual labor where I get approximately between $2.50 and $3 a day. The biggest hardship I have faced in life is raising School fees for siblings and I thank Give Directly for this rare opportunity.
