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 had just arrived from the nearby water pan where I had gone to fetch water for the family. I remember It was around 9 o'clock when I received a Mpesa message on my phone. After checking l discovered it was the transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt very happy and relieved from the stress because my goals were about to be attained.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I no longer have to walk for a long distance while carrying 20 litres water using my head. This was tiresome task for me. Through the transfer, I was able to purchase a motorbike. In addition, I have a reliable source of income after starting a motorbike taxi business which is earning me a living of 3 dollars per day. This income helps in meeting some of the daily needs for the family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had always wished to start a motorbike taxi for my firstborn son who had dropped out of school 3 years ago due to financial challenges. I spent $400 on purchasing a second-hand motorbike for him. Nowadays, he can earn an income as well as paying me 3 dollars per day from the taxi business. In addition, the motorbike helps us in fetching water for the family since we are experiencing drought and we have to walk a long distance to get water. Furthermore, I purchased 10 iron sheets for the complication of the Construction of my house which I had started a long time ago but halted due to lack of money to acquire the building materials. The remaining amount assisted me in purchasing enough food for the family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means giving my family a decent shelter. This is because our house of 21 years collapsed due to heavy rains over 5 years ago. I went ahead to construct a small temporary structure but it could sustain the strong winds and it followed suit of the former house. Last year we tried to build another one but we stopped midway due to insufficient finances. Currently we live in a structure that is open at the roof making it unbearable at night as it gets colder. This makes me pity my small children because common colds are the order of the day. I will therefore use part of the transfer to complete my house. This will cost approximately 25000 shillings.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning. I feel relaxed at time because of the night long rest. This makes it easier for me to face all my daily activities.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial challenge is our biggest hardship. This is a result of unreliable source of income as we depend on casual jobs for livelihood. My husband's work as a loader at one of the shipping companies, was greatly affected by the Covid 19 pandemic. This has made it difficult to sustain our family needs and we suffer greatly. It is this same reason why we live in an equally bad house.
