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 9 am and I was at home having breakfast when suddenly my son who is my helper came and he happily told me that we had received the promised transfer of KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I was so happy on hearing this since we had been eagerly waiting for it. We had earlier heard other people in the neighborhood telling and asking each other if they had received the transfers. So my son had stayed with the phone since then. We thus celebrated and thanked God for the blessing.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a big difference in our lives as a family. We managed to get enough money for buying the two points of an acre that we had been forced to sell to get money for paying a hospital bill. We are thus grateful because we managed to achieve our goal and now our land is back to its original size of an acre and two points.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent our entire recent transfer on buying a piece of land which was adjacent to ours. We bought two points of an acre which was being sold at KES 90000. I had managed to pay the seller some amount and I had promised to clear the balance once I get the transfer from GiveDirectly. We decided to buy the piece of land to recover two points of an acre that we had been forced to sell before to raise money for clearing a hospital bill that we had. I had decided since then that I will do what it takes to re-buy the two points again. I was however not able to achieve this sooner since I had not gotten enough money. I usually rear some cows and sell milk to earn a living. The money from the sales has been helping me in paying school fees for my son and paying the merry-go-round group contributions. The merry-go-round has helped me a lot since I was able to raise some money for buying the piece of land. I am hence so much grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to achieve my goal.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means better housing and a reduction of workload at home. Currently, I live in a mud house that needs to be smeared with mud weekly, especially during rainy seasons. This is because when it rains, our clay soil cannot absorb water, so it floods and it also affects the walls. Smearing it takes a lot of time and it is very tiresome. I'm growing old and I will not be able to smear it now and then like I used a long time ago. I, therefore, plan to build a two-roomed, timber house which can cost me up to KES 40,000. For the rest of the amount, I plan to purchase a heifer as an investment and to be giving me milk for domestic use in the future.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My last-born son is in his final year awaiting the final exam in a week. I am very happy as a mother and as a parent, that I have been able to see my children through school. I consider it a blessing too that I have lived to see my last born completing school. It has been very difficult raising my children and taking them through school as a single parent.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a peasant farmer solely depending on the farming of different crops both for consumption and as a source of income. I am a single parent meaning all responsibilities lie on my shoulders. I have a son in secondary school whom it has been difficult paying school fees for. Meeting the basic needs and paying school fees at the same time, considering I am just a farmer is straining. The biggest challenge is insufficient finances.
