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?
While asleep, I heard a message tone from my phone but I ignored it since I do not know how to read. My husband who is also my helper wakem up to see what kind of a message it was. When he checked, he looked straight into my eyes and smiled before breaking the news that it was the first transfer of $550 from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with happiness for receiving the money. I tried to hold back and not attract the attention of other people that night though Ifelt like ululating due to happiness.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The main differences that were brought by the transfer from my previous way of living are accommodation and access to food. As a mother of four, it was pathetic to share a room with my children in the presence of my husband. Currently, my children have their own room and we have a seperate one too. This has intalled respect and confidence to us as parents even though the house is incomplete.
Initially, we used to struggle to get some food. At some point, we had to go for up to two days a week without meals. As of now, this has become history since the time I received the transfer from GiveDirectly. As a family, we have been getting our meals comfortably unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
By the time I received the first transfer, I had already planned on building a new spacious house because the one I had was very small, congested and on the verge of collapsing. Therefore, I bought 24 pieces of iron sheets, three ridges, and roofing nails. The cost of the roofing materials was $271. I also bought building poles and rafters for $27 and the labor charge of the contract was $60. Currently, I am a happy woman because I sleep in a secure spacious house not as before when I used to cross fingers at night fearing the house could collapse due to the poor state it was. After that, I bought two goats for $60 so that I could start raring livestock at my home and used the remaining amount in buying food. Hunger was a challenging factor since we have been without rain for the last three farming seasons.
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Enhancing the living standard of my life is all what it means receiving this money to my household. Currently, I share one room with my 4 children and the first born is 7 years old. This makes me uncomfortable because of privacy and it is not right according to our culture. It has forced me to think of having a spacious house in order to accommodate us separately. Once I receive the transfers, I will spend all of the first trench to build a bigger house of 3 rooms. The second one will use it to furnish the house with bedding and indigenous goats so as to create an investment that will help me in future.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In March, I hosted my elder sister whom we had last met 3 years back. She had visited me after giving birth to my last born. She brought me new clothes for my baby and had a feast together. This brought me joy and happiness because it showed me the love between us and it has since strengthen the family bond.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a casual worker at a nearby quart, whereby I earn KES 1000 per week. The money I get is not enough for all the domestic needs. My spouse is not employed, he depend on construction work which is not reliable because he can stay for over a month without job. This situation is dire, and it has pushed me to spend some days skipping meals. Thus, I consider lack of money as the main challenge that I am currently facing.
