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?
It was around 9 am. When I heard a message notification from my phone. When I checked it out I felt so happy. It was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. My neighbors had received theirs at around 7 am. I was so worried since by 8 I had not received the money. When I got the message I was very excited because I thought I was left out. I withdrew the money the same day and went home to plan with my family. I knew I would be able to buy a dairy cow which we had talked about it with my spouse.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Purchasing a dairy cow is the biggest difference in my daily life since I no longer buy milk. I used to buy milk and this was so demoralizing and stressful since I do not have a continuous source of income. I do causal jobs in the village and this does not pay well. My family would not get milk whenever I had no money to purchase and Thai was so demoralizing. When I received the transfer from GiveDirectly I was able to purchase a dairy cow at a cost of KED 35,000. I am so grateful because I have the best breed now. I can get enough milk for the family and even sell the surplus to earn some money to meet additional household items. Were it not GiveDirectly all this could not take quite some time because I do not have the saving. Currently, I have devoted much of my time to this project. I hope to improve this to a better level shortly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 35,000 on purchasing a dairy cow. I used to purchase milk daily and this was so costly for me. I depend on casual jobs in the village and the amount of money that I get is so small. I was not able to buy a dairy cow. Currently, I have cut this cost since I have enough milk for the family. I used part of the money to purchase some shopping for my children who are now going back to school. The rest of the money I spent on food and clothes.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will finally build a house. In the last three years, I have been living in a house that belonged to my late parents, partly because it is a cultural requirement that I occupy it and mainly because I do not have enough money to build mine. I will spend about KES 50,000.
Additionally, I will also buy a dairy cow, to mainly give me an income from selling milk. I will sell a litre of milk at KES 50. If I am making about KES 250 a day, I will have enough money to buy food for the household and to pay school fees for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last six months, it has been very difficult for me to make ends meet. This is because of the inflation whereby food prices and prices of household items that we use on a daily basis like soap, shot up. I have a constant struggle here but I hope to overcome it when I receive the transfers.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest challenge right now is paying school fees for my 2 children in secondary school and three others in primary. Given that my income is less than 30, 000 in one year, finding KES 50,000 required for school fees is an impossible task.
