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 7;30 AM when my mobile phone started ringing continuously. This was so unusual since no one has ever contacted me at such an hour. I curiously checked who it could be, on checking I realized it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I was so happy and started planning on how I would use the money.
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 will forever mention is the fact that I now own a pair of oxen which I cquired after receiving my first transfer. I settled in buying them majorly for my ploughing my farm. They normally take less time to plough an acre as compared to doing the exercise by myself. Therefore I do believe that the harvest shall increase because I will be able to increase the acreage of land under cultivation. In addition, I will also hire them to my neighbors and get an income that will help me sustain my family's needs with ease.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying a pair of oxen at a total of KES 26000. I later bought some more stack to revive my retail shop which was almost collapsing since I have been using the capital in meeting my family daily needs. I also bought a new mattress to replace the old one which was I have been using for all that time. The little amount of money that had remained I bought enough foodstuffs for my family.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will enable me stock my shop which has little supplies for now. I mainly sell flour and groceries and I have always wished to add more goods so that I can get more profit. I am a farmer and therefore I plan to invest more into farming by buying 2 oxen. This will help me in ploughing my 6 acre piece of land. Using oxen to plough land helps in increasing the yield . I will also be able to earn money when I plough land for other people in the village and the neighbouring villages. The oxen will cost me 150 USD each.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Waking up every morning feeling healthy and strong makes me very happy. The success of my day depends on how healthy I wake up in the morning. That is why the happiest part of my day is in the morning.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship has been feeding my family. I have depended on farming for many years but my farm does not give me enough to feed my family. We mainly experience long dry spells which gives us low yield. I sell part of the produce inorder to pay school fees for my children.The little that remains for consumption does not last long. I have 7 children to take care of.
