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 almost 6 pm and I was about to start preparing supper for my family when I heard my phone ringing notifying me of a new message. I immediately checked what it was all about since I had heard some of my neighbors talking about the transfers having been sent. I was surprised and excited when I opened it and I read that I had also received the KES 55000 that I had been eagerly waiting for. I called my husband who was away at work and I informed him of what had transpired. He was so happy and we thanked God for it. We then later on planned on how we were going to spend it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Our lives have changed for the better having received the transfers from GiveDirectly. We are glad because our children have not been sent home due to school fees arrears after paying for it. Other than that, we are also happy because we now have enough food to eat unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Our priority upon receiving our recent transfer was to buy a cow which cost us KES 30000. We didn't own one and hence we had been incurring the cost of buying milk for our consumption. We had thought of buying one but unfortunately, we were not in a position to, since we didn't have the money. I usually do the business of buying and selling maize while my husband usually does casual work of digging boreholes. The money that we earn is not much and it is only enough to meet our basic needs. That aside, we also took KES 10000 that we spent on paying school fees for our five children and another KES 5000 on buying clothes for them. We also bought food with KES 5000, and with the remaining amount, we gave it out at church as a tithe. For this, we are grateful to GiveDirectly for their big support.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We are people of very little means faced with many challenges. We were evicted in Mau Narok sometime in 2010 when it was established that we had crossed over the cutline and encroached into the Mau forest. We sold the only 2 cows we had to buy the land we occupy at the moment, just 0.2 acres at KES 45000. We remained with nothing else even to build a house and as a result, we simply constructed a makeshift house. It is for this reason that we have always wanted to build a better house for occupation but we have no money, mark you we are blessed with 5 children and the house we live in is so small. We are so excited that at last, our dream of having a better roof over our heads is on the verge of becoming a reality. We intend to build a 24 iron-roofed house for KES 30000 and the rest of the money to buy a dairy cow.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Our son who recently sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education passed well. He managed to score 310 marks out of the possible 500. I was so overjoyed when the results came out and I am certain that he will get admitted to a good secondary school.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have a very small piece of land,just 0.2 acres and as such I can hardly engage in subsistence farming. As a result I am not able to do maize farming and other crops. I am forced to buy from the nearby Chebunyo market at a price that I struggle to afford. At the moment I am so stressed about where I will get KES 100 to buy a 2kg packet of maize flour for our dinner. We live a day as it comes, we are so uncertain about the next day. Life is hard and unbearable for us!
