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 when I received the money because I had gotten the assistance I needed to address the challenges that I was facing, especially school fees for my children as well as a bigger and better house for my family. I was so happy and grateful the moment I received the money from GiveDirectly.
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 am now more grateful than I could ever been before. I have a peace of mind knowing that my children are in school and their education is not going to be interrupted or disrupted by lack of school fees. In addition to that, I now have a bigger and better house, which makes all the difference. All thanks to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my transfer which was KES 30000 on my four children's school fees because that was to cover for something else and gives me the opportunity to work on addressing the other challenges with a peace of mind knowing that my children's school fees have been settled. I also believe in education and that when my children get a good education, I will be relieved from having to stress my weak body in the future trying to fend for myself. Instead, my children will be there to take care of me because that's how they will be showing gratitude for the efforts I put in giving them the opportunity to get a good education. I also spent KES 16000 in building a bigger and better house for the whole family because the one we were living in previously was so small and couldn't accommodate all of us, comfortably. I am now so happy that we have a bigger and better house, even my children have a room for studying and doing their school work. I am so happy and grateful, all thanks to GiveDirectly.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have a family of eight children who depend on me. They need to eat, attend school and have shelter. I live in a one bedroom house that is unfinished. The roof leaks when it rains. This house is not enough to accommodate all my eight children. This forces them to borrow shelter from neighbours which is risky especial moving at night. I depend on charcoal burning business which earns me less than 2000 KES a month. This business is not reliable because there are no more trees in the village for charcoal production. Receiving this money therefore means finishing my house and add one more room for my children. I will then use the remaining amount of money to pay school fees for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My day begins in the morning at 6am. I usually walk for about ten kilometres to fetch water. Due to the drought facing our village, I have to cover long distances to find water. I then come back at noon very tired. I cook lunch for my children who come for lunch break from school. I then spend the rest of the day doing my house chores. The only time I rest is in the evening after supper. This makes me long for evening because we have time together as family as we eat and make stories.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a stable source of income is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. Imagine having a family of eight children and without any source of a stable income. This is the current situation that I am facing. Over the years, I have been depending on subsistence farming. However, due to the persistent drought in our village, this has made me shift from agriculture farming to charcoal burning business. This business is not reliable because many people depend on it and there are no more trees for charcoal production. This has made life more difficult since I only manage to earn about 2000 KES a month. Upon receiving this money, I will be able to use the first transfer to finish building my house. I will then use the second transfer to buy ten goats that I will sell when they multiply as my future investment for my family.
