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 around 6 in the morning when I saw the notification message on my mobile phone. When I checked its content, I realized it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly informing me that I have received my first transfer. I was so glad because I did not believe this would really happen in my life.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
A lot has happened ever since I received my first but fact that I now own an ox brings the biggest difference in my daily life. Previously one of my relatives used to have one which could not plough on its own. Since she is also my close friend, we shall make them a pair and plough in our farms in shifts, which is a relief to me. This will make me save the expenses of hiring labor. I am also hoping to get plenty of harvests for the next coming seasons since the oxen can plough large areas of land within a short period of time unlike before whereby I used to cultivate using my own hands.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying some livestock such as ox and chicken, which will now serve as the living assets that I can lean on just in case of any emergencies. I also bought some new beddings such as a new bed and a mattress. These were to replace the old beddings that I have been using for all those years. I then cleared some hospital bills since I have been sick for the past year and I could not afford to go to the hospital due to the poverty life had stricken my homestead. The remaining amount of money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my children and better clothes.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Subsistence is our source of livelihood besides my husband's casual jobs. However, it is not sufficient due to lack of better farming equipment and unreliable rainfall. We use our manual labour to prepare our farm and the much we can till is 1 acre. The only solution is to hire oxen but we do not have enough money for that. Therefore, we can only get food that lasts for 4 months and it means we are food insecure for the rest of the year. To curb this problem, we plan to purchase a pair of oxen and a plough that will help us scale up farming. In addition to this, we will hire them to generate income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Nothing makes me happier than spending time with my husband. His presence is so soothing because he encourages me to believe in a better tomorrow. I always long for him to come home in the evening and this makes it the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constraint which results from an unstable source of income is our biggest hardship. My husband taps the local brew 'mnazi' to sustain our needs. However, it quite challenging as it earns him around 500 shillings in a week. It is quite a hustle to get money for medical care when one get sick. As if this is not enough, getting food is equally a hustle. This is not limited to the fact that we have been sleeping on the floor for the past 7 months after our bed got broken.
