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?
On my farm, surrounded by the tranquility of planting maize and vegetables, I received a message from GiveDirectly. The news filled me with joy, and I offered heartfelt prayers for their generosity. In that moment, my mind raced to the pressing issue of water scarcity that plagued my family. Currently relying on borrowed water from neighbors, the urgent need to connect water pipes became the first thought that crossed my mind. Unfortunately, my health poses a challenge; a swollen leg with vein problems leaves me unable to collect water for myself. The support from GiveDirectly holds the promise of a brighter future, easing the burden of this daily struggle.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Receiving financial assistance brought a profound change to my life: now, water flows at home, a reality I could never have imagined. The joy radiates through my family; happiness and excitement fill our home as we eagerly await the arrival of water. With this newfound resource, I dream of expanding our living space by adding an extra room to accommodate my family's needs. The satisfaction of providing such comfort is a testament to the positive impact that this support has brought, allowing us to envision and realize improvements that were once beyond our reach.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I pay my grandchild's school fees of $45 because her mother used to provide for us, and I appreciate the investment in education. In our family of 10, which includes five grandchildren, my husband, and my two children, life took a turn when my husband retired from his carpentry job in Mombasa. With a vision for sustainability, I invested $160 in purchasing a cow, anticipating it to multiply and provide a source of income. Despite having goats, I chose not to buy more. Running a broom-selling business was my previous endeavor, but illness forced me to step away. Now, relying on my daughter, a hairdresser, and my two sons, who work as boda-boda riders in Kilifi, our family's financial support hinges on their efforts. Facing a water problem, I used the remainder of the money received from GiveDirectly to connect water pipes, ending our reliance on borrowed water from neighbors. Unfortunately, I would not help myself to fetch water because of my health challenge..
Enrolled
access_time 6 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I have a family of five members with three being grandchildren whose mother died some years back. I do subsistence farming together with my husband. I am aged and my granddaughter is the one who helps me get water from the tap but she covers along distance to and from the water tap. It's almost 10km. This is a bother to me and I will one day resolve it. I will use $400 to buy pipes and other required items to have tap water at home. This will be for domestic use and also for business in the community. I intend to make $5 every day from sale of water . I will also use $400 to buy a cow as an investment. I already have one and the two will help me sell milk at the town centres and have a sustainable source of income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Over years , we have been under drought as a community. However, in May this year we received rain and planted maize on a one acre piece of land and harvested two bags each 90kg. The maize sustained the family for three months. In October this year we received rain too and planted maize on a three acre piece of land. I hope I will harvest over five bags. The rain brings happiness in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the challenge I am currently facing in life. I do subsistence farming as my job but the community has been under drought for the past six years. This has caused famine in the village. The family takes one meal per day and sometimes we go without any food. This has affected my health and the family health too.
