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 biggest difference in your daily life.
For the over fourteen years that I have been married but with no home. I used to borrow from my relatives to shelter especially during winter seasons. My marriage life has been so miserable and I even had no hopes of getting my own house any time soon. My spouse has been jobless for the past few years. We have been beggars for long and sometimes I felt embarrassed to continue borrowing. The coming of Give Directly has transformed everything in my life. I am comfortable and happy with my family since I now own a spacious and permanent house. I no longer ask anyone for shelter or even food. My life is totally different.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 8 am when I switched on my phone and a notification message came in. I decided to check the content, of the message, only to realize it was an mpesa message from GD. I was overexcited. I immediately started planning on how to use the money to avoid wasting a cent. It is one of the best days of my life
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer buying some building materials such as building poles, iron sheets, timber, and nails. My aim was to construct a new house since my previous house was in a critical condition and it even collapsed some years back. When it rained, I had to sleep at my neighbor's or relatives' house with my family. This was really stressful. I then bought some goats as potential assets. Apart from that, I also bought sufficient foodstuffs for my family. Previously they used to starve and this made them even not attend classes. But for now, they have good health, since they are taking a balanced diet like the others.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Everyone has a right to decent life but this is not the case for my family. I share a single roomed house with my 8 children something that has forced 4 of them to seek shelter in my neighbour's house. This makes me feel like a bad parent to my kids. Besides the house being small, it is made of iron sheets walls and it not comfortable in both dry and rainy seasons. It is also open in the upper part thus letting in cold air at night. This has affected my children's health and they are always suffering from colds. It is also home for mosquitoes and malaria is the order of the day in my family. I therefore plan to build a better house that will save my family the problems arising due to lack of a decent house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning. This is because I wake up relaxed after all tiresome activities of the previous day. It gives me morale to press on since I have dependants that need my support.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Casual labor being our main source of income does not provide enough for my family. My husband and I earn less than 1500 shillings a month because of the inconsistency of these jobs. This makes it difficult to comfortably meet our family needs. It is this situation that has resulted into us living in a chicken pen like house. My school going children can spend up to 2 weeks at home because of school fees as less as 200 shillings. As if this is not enough, going without food is a common scenario in my family. All this misfortune is as a result of financial constraint which is my biggest hardship.
