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 4 pm and I was busy doing some casual work when suddenly I heard my phone ringing notifying me of a new message. I stopped to check what it was all about and to surprise, it was an SMS saying that I had received KES 55000 from GiveDirectly as promised. I was so happy and I thanked God for the blessing. I hurriedly finished what I was doing and I headed back home to inform my family of the good news. They were so happy and we celebrated together.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference that the transfer has brought into our daily life is that we have managed to cut down the daily costs. We no longer buy milk like before having bought the cow. I have thus managed to save some of the money that I make through the self-help group that I have joined.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent KES 40000 of the recent transfer on buying a cow and its calf. We do not have a cow and hence we usually incur the cost of buying milk daily. We usually buy half a liter or a liter depending on the daily income that I have earned. A liter goes by KES 60 in our area. I usually depend on casual jobs and the money that I get paid at the end of the day is what I usually use in buying maize and milk and paying school fees for my two children. We also bought a bag of maize for our consumption at KES 3000 with part of the transfer money. With the remaining amount, we used it in buying clothes for the children and a few household items such as blankets. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for the support.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have three children all of them below five years. They need a balanced diet and among them is milk. As we speak, I do not have any dairy cattle as I depend on buying from neighbors for domestic use. Receiving this money means that I will use KES 40000 to buy one dairy cattle to supplement my young family with milk. I will introduce a cattle feeding program to ensure that I get surplus milk of more than five litres a day to sell in the nearby market center. This will generate a regular source of income of KES 250 per day that I can use to cater for other needs. I intend also to use the remaining amount of the transfer to build a spacious house and furnish it.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We are happy as a family to have been able to see this new year of 2022. We have been through a lot in the past year and we are optimistic about this year. We have resolved to be financially independent come the end of this year through investing in farming.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Providing milk for domestic use is the biggest challenge I am currently facing. I do not own any dairy cattle and so depend on buying from the neighbors and sometimes from market centers. We use an average of two litres of milk costing KES 100. With no regular source of income, getting this amount on a daily basis is difficult. I am a casual laborer cultivating other people's farms.
