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 so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I heard my phone ring at around 6:00 pm and I shared the good news with my children who equally were so happy
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My living standards have increased and the peace that came with ckearing school fees for my child. I normally rely on farming and small business to make ends meet for my four children. I am a single mother of four.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 39000 to buy a dairy cow since I did not have one yet it is one of the main economic activities here. I used the remaining amount to pay school fees worth Kes 4000 and bought food with the remainder
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means an end to family wrangles that have been persistent for the last 7 years. I am a single mother of four, 2 boys and 2 girls. I usually plant and sell vegetables to earn a living and sometimes I depend on casual jobs especially when the dry season is upon us. I have undergone a very difficult time living here with my brothers because they feel that my children will demand for a share of the family land and yet according to tradition I was supposed to be married off at a younger age and leave everything for them to share. Their treatment towards us started worsening when my mother died 7 years ago because they started demanding that we leave. They took away most of the land that we had been allocated by my mother and left us with insufficient space. We cannot even produce enough vegetables for sale to sustain our needs. This has made me very worried about the future of my family but I am hopeful now that with these transfers I shall be able to buy a 1 acre piece of land and build a house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am so happy about the weather conditions lately because for the last two months we have had continuous rainfall here. This makes me happy because I depend wholly the rain to grow the crops that I sell to earn a little income.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am facing a very difficult moment because of the family wrangles we are undergoing. This has really affected the amount of income we earn as a family. Initially we could earn KES. 1,000 monthly but since we were restricted on the amount of land we can access, my income was reduced by half. My elder son had to drop out of school after his primary education because I told him clearly that I was not able to pay for his secondary education with such a small amount of income. These other two children were also going to drop out but with your help I am confident that they'll continue with their education.
