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 was in the hospital nursing my co-wife who was admitted when I received a call from my neighbor at home. She jovially informed me that she had received her transfer form GiveDirectly so I should check my balance. I asked someone with whom we had been interacting in the hospital to check for me. I could not believe that I had also received my transfer after a long period of waiting. I was filled with joy and thanksgiving because I thought I would never get the GiveDirectly transfer after missing the first time I was registered while my neighbors got it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Initially, I solely relied on the charcoal-burning business which would not enable me to put food on the table on daily basis. I used to go without fort for at least two days a week. My living status was pathetic. Getting this transfer from GiveDirectly has changed my life. I generate income from the motorbike that I bought and it is serving my family well. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly because if it were not for them, I would not be having the motorbike for business as a family. Since the time I received the transfer, I have not gone without food.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I had no defined source of income apart from burning charcoals, I opted to buy a motorbike for business. The motorbike is used for ferrying people from one destination to the other. In purchasing the motorbike, I bought it in hire-purchase because the amount could not allow me to buy it in cash. Therefore, I paid a deposit of $200 and I am paying a weekly installment of $5 for two years. I am very happy that I now have an income-generating activity. Thereafter, I bought a solar panel for $100. I did this so that I could have some light at my home. Initially, I used to make a huge fire for us as a family to get some light at night. As of now, my home has a good lighting system courtesy of GiveDirectly. I also bought a sack of maize for $70 to ensure there is food security at home for my family of seven. Since I did not have a bed and I used to sleep on the floor, I bought a bed and a mattress. I am happy that I nowadays sleep well and comfortably unlike before.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am an old woman without any source of income to meet my basic needs. We depend on our elder son who also has his own family to take care of. We live in a very old mud walled house which is almost collapsing. My biggest worry is when it rains because it leaks terrible that forces us to wake up and remain standing as we squeeze ourselves in one corner of the room. We sleep on the dust floor which is very dangerous and has rendered us hopeless. My main goal is to renovate my house and buy a bed and mattress. Upon receiving the cash transfers, I will use KES 50000 to replace the worn out iron sheets, erect four concrete pillars at the corners to support the house and buy a solar lamp and beddings. I will then use the rest of the money on business.
What is the happiest part of your day?
What has brought me joy in the last six months is when my children passed their final exams in primary school in the last four months. This motivated me having struggled through thick and thin to keep them in school, they performed very well. I am happy that despite the fact that my spouse and I being illiterate, our children have successfully completed their basic education like other children in the village.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My family consist of two children who are currently waiting to join secondary school. I have been selling charcoal to raise their fees in primary school but now the burden of taking them to secondary school is overwhelming. There are no more trees for burning charcoal. This has forced them to engage in casual jobs in the village to save some money to help them join secondary school. My spouse and I are old and cannot engage in any other economic activity. My biggest challenge therefore is lack of a stable source of income. I am planning to solve this by using KES 20000 to pay their first term fees. I will then use KES 30000 to buy two dairy cows and sell milk to raise their fees for the subsequent academic years.
