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 biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfer, I was able to acquire eight goats which to me are my assets. Owning them would have taken many years but GiveDirectly made it possible to me within days and I will always give thanks to GiveDirectly for the financial support. I am expecting them to reproduce and increase in number so that they can help me out in case of the financial crisis.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the notification early in the morning. Seeing the message on my phone that was informing me that I had received money from GiveDirectly brought happiness and joy into my life. I cheerfully celebrated this fortune from GiveDirectly with my family. I was thankful to God and to GiveDirectly for financial support as I was sure that it would impact my life positively.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of the transfer I received on purchasing eight goats to keep because it has always been my desire to invest in rearing livestock. My region is conducive for such projects as they do and thrive well in my area due to it being a semi-arid region. The transfer has enabled me to fulfil this and I am hopeful that these goats will reproduce and increase in number. I can depend on them during a financial problem. I also purchased building materials which include building poles in order to renovate my house which was on the verge of collapsing. I replaced the old poles used with new ones and I am glad that it's now in a good condition and stable enough though semi-permanent. I could not accomplish this at my own costs and it is through the transfer that I have been enabled to achieve this. Apart from all these, I used a portion of the transfer to pay school fees for my children who are in high school so that they can comfortably continue with their studies without any interruptions.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always wished to revive my grocery business that collapsed some years back but I have not been able to due to financial constraints. The business was doing very well and I could comfortably manage to take care of my family. Currently, the job that I do generates so little that even buying food for my family fails me at times. I do not get any satisfaction from the casual job that I do since it involves struggling with young men twice my age everyday just to get a little commission from packing vehicles. With this money, I see my situation turning around. I will set up my grocery business in bamba town where the profits are very promising so that I have a more assured and satisfying source of income to take care of my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I return home to my family from my job which is normally very hectic and noisy.I wake up as early as 5:30am and head out for bamba town where I pack vehicles headed for kilifi.The job in itself is very hectic because it involves scrambling for passengers since we are paid commission based on the number of passengers that one is able to pack into each vehicle. The combination of the scotching sun,constant hooting of vehicles and scrambling for customers that at times leads to fights amongst us, leaves me so exhausted and by evening, the only thing that I look forward to is going back home to relax with my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constraint is the biggest hardship that I face daily in my life. My work as a casual worker earning commission on each vehicle that I bring passengers to does not generate a lot. It is not also consistent and as a result, on so many nights my family has been forced to sleep hungry when I did not manage to get any money. This has ended up frustrating me a lot to an extent that I nearly developed ulcers sometimes back when my child who had asthma became so sick and I could not even take him to hospital to get proper treatment.
