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 felt very happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was at home that day and it was around 7:30 pm when I saw the message confirming the same. I did not share the information with anyone else since I wanted to be safe from fraud. I organized myself and planned on withdrawing the money the following day. What made me very happy was the fact that I was going to be able to finally going to be able to buy a piece of land of my own.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the piece of land that I bought with the transfer. I had had to come home from my matrimonial home having undergone some humiliation and I did not have a place to call home. I engaged in casual job in a nearby restaurant where I earn up to KES 100 per day which is just enough to feed my family or even hardly enough. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me own a piece of land. I feel so much empowered and independent.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 30000 to buy a piece of land and use the remaining amount to buy goats and food for my family. I was initially married to someone who ended up mistreating me until I had to come back home to my parents. After coming back with my child I had no place to call home and I always looked forward to accumulating enough money to be able to buy my own piece of land. I was able to use Kes 30000 of the money that I received to buy a piece of land and I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me do this.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I got married in the year 2017 and separated in 2018 after having irreconcilable differences with my husband. I came back home to my parents but I got a cold reception from them. I was given a separate house to live an indication that I am not wanted at home. It is heartbreaking to imagine that a parent can isolate one of his children. In my culture, a lady cannot have land as inheritance from her parents and my father has repeatedly told me as much. I desire to buy a 0.2-acre piece of land for KES 80,000 where I will build my home. Receiving this money will enable me to buy land and build a home and this will give me the peace of mind that I am lacking at the moment.
What is the happiest part of your day?
This area is known to be dry with no or little rainfall. In the last one month, we have witnessed a heavy downpour and this has eased my struggle of looking for water and I am happy about it
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a mother of one daughter who is 3-years and my main challenge is food security. I depend on casual jobs such as weeding to earn a living. I earn KES 100 daily and with the high cost of living this cannot sufficiently cater for my household needs such as food. I always cry every time I do not have food in my house
