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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent half of the money on renovating my house to look decent. This was my main concern since I wanted to make my house look decent. I had always wished to do this but I did not have the money. We do small-scale farming and the produce that we get is only for consumption sometimes we sell the surplus to earn an income to meet household needs. We had no extra money to do the renovations. Besides that, I gave my son KES 4,000 to top up with his saving to purchase a piece of land. I am so happy because now he has land and he is doing some farming. I bought food and household items. I have saved KES 10,000 planning on purchasing a heifer soon.
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 help my son to purchase a piece of land. I gave him some amount to top up with his saving and he purchase a farm. This had been his wish and currently, he is so happy. He does casual jobs and he is a hardworking man. He has been struggling all along to ensure that he owns a piece of land. When I received the transfer I felt so happy because this was the chance to support him. Currently building a house and doing farming on the new land. Because he does horticulture farming we gonna get enough food to feed the family and even sell the extra to get some income. He has devoted much of his time to farming and I know this is what he loves the most. I am so happy because my son had achieved his dream which I had always wanted to fulfill.
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. Since I do not know how to read I waited until my son came home. When he checked the phone he said that it was a message from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I have never received such an amount of money before. I knew I would be able to renovate my house to look decent. We planned with my children and I went to withdraw after one week and started to spent.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. I have been battling this disease by balancing the kinds of food I eat and at the same time going for regular checks twice a month. The hospital where my insurance cover operates is very far and costly in terms of transport. I sometimes have to sleep in my relatives who live close to the hospital whenever I am late and then come back to my house the following day. This inconvenience has taken a toll on me but I am optimistic of positive days a headd
What is the happiest part of your day?
I reside close to my church. Being an astute catholic church member, my happiness comes every Sunday of the week as I have to attend mass services and be blessed with gospel music that I normally hear every evening.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am 84 years old and no longer economically active. I depend on my children to provide food for me. I intend to purchase 0.1 acres of land for 50000 KES to increase the size of my existing farm. I will also buy 1 dairy cattle for 30000 KES. By doing this, I will have a space to plant animal feeds and start dairy farming on a small scale level. I am optimistic and happy to project that the dairy cattle will provide me with a total of 5 litres daily I.e. 2 litres for domestic use while the other 3 litres for sale.
