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 biggest difference in your daily life.
The two dairy cows are my previous assets I can proudly mention. They have made my life to be totally different in many ways. First, I am now getting some milk for my family consumption which is now a surplus to our daily meal. Before, I used to buy the milk from my neighbors which was somehow expensive. Sometimes I could not afford. I thank GiveDirectly because now i am selling the few liters to my neighbors. Which is still like a dream to me. My life has really transformed. The money that I am getting from the sell of milk is now my source of income. I am now meeting my family's basic needs and other households at ease.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I remember very well it was around 4 am when I heard my phone vibrating so loudly. I was anxious and wanted to know what the notification was all about because it was so unusual for my phone to vibrate at such an hour. When I checked it's content it was an mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I was so happy beyond measures.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
The moment I received my first transfer I was so glad knowing that my dream of keeping some livestock has come true. I bought two dairy cows for a start. I had been yearning to keep them but they were too expensive and from the salary I was earning from the casual jobs, I could not afford it. Having three meals a day was also hectic. We were always starving and so the remaining amount of money I bought enough foodstuff for my family and I. My children are now joyful and healthier because they no longer starve like before.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a huge relief for me in terms of accessing my basic needs of food, water and shelter. I currently reside in an old small thatched roof house that leaks during rainy seasons. With this cash, I will be able to build a new and bigger house with an iron sheets roof. I will also buy oxen and ox plough to assist me in farming since am too old to till a big portion of land manually. Last but not least, I will purchase a bicycle for my son in order to cut cost of ferrying water using a motorcycle.
What is the happiest part of your day?
With the water scarcity facing us here, I sometimes have to walk very long distances in order to access a water point when I can not afford to pay a motorcycle. This makes me very tired and I always look forward to evenings when I can lay my body to rest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being an old widow with no stable source of income, meeting my family's needs of food and water has become quite a challenge. Low rainfall in the area has further worsened the situation causing water scarcity and poor harvest in our farms. Life has thus become too expensive as I have to dig deep into my already almost empty pockets to buy food from shops and water from taps because our water pans are dried up.
