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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($465 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
At the moment, I do not have any new goals since I am concentrating on monitoring the income flow from the motorcycle taxi which is my main source of income. As I do this, I will be saving 200 KES daily from it thereafter I will think of the next project to invest in.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Ever since people started receiving transfers from Give Directly in our village there has been a great improvement in social life, businesses are doing well, there are also no more idle children since most of them have gone back to school. We as a village owe this to Give Directly for giving people the chance to decide on how to spend their transfers. On the other hand, I have not heard of anyone unsatisfied with the organization's work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It has been a real struggle to fetch water from a well that is two hours away from my home. At my advanced age, if am to collect the water then it means I have to leave home at 4:00 am to make it back home by 10:00 am. I, therefore, opted to hire someone to collect water for me. I am glad to have finally purchased a motorcycle worth 58000 KES from both my savings and the second transfer. This has saved me a lot of time and resources I would use to ensure that I get some liters of water every day. The motorcycle is also a source of income for my household. I have assigned it to a neighbor who brings me water in the morning hours thereafter he operates it for taxi services. The 400 KES that I earn daily from it comes in handy when it comes to meeting my household needs and even saving some at the end of the day.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was in the morning at around 8am when I heard people discussing on how they received their transfers the previous day. I was astonished and thought I was left out. I immediately approached my helper to confirm whether I received the money too or it was for selected few. Surprisingly I had been walking around with a huge amount of money without knowing. The helper confirmed to me that I received the transfer of KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly the previous day. I was overwhelmed by the information and ululated ni happiness.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Initially when I saw some clouds beings formed in the sky, I was getting worried knowing that all my properties were going to be tained on since my house was leaking profusely. As at now I can attest that through GiveDirectly I was able to construct a good house and I am no longer afraid of rain. Even if it rains on daily basis, my family and I are well sheltered.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My mother had been sick for a while and when I withdrew the money, I took KES 15000.00 for her medication. Thereafter, I bought a bed and a mattress for KES 9700.00, a solar for KES 2000.00 and school fees of KES 3000.00. Having done that, I bought the building materials. Collectively, buying the materials cost was KES 31000. For the remaining amount, I opted to reserve it for the rest for family upkeep.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means building a better house for me and my family. I am a returnee who came back home ten years ago after a divorce. I am living with my old mother with her two grandchildren, who is currently in hospital because of chest complications. The house we are living in, is a single roomed house. It's roof is pathetic when it rains because we just used worn out boxes as our roofing instead of iron sheets. All this is because of lack of enough money to build a better house. I depend on charcoal burning business that earns us less than 3500 KES a month. All this money is used to buy food and some for school fees for my sister's children. My ambition has been to build a two bedroom house that can accommodate all of us. This house will cost me 40,000 KES. I will then use part of the money to buy ten goats that I will sell when they multiply as an investment for our future.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Last week, our village received food aid from our government and aspiring politicians. My household received four Kilograms of rice and four kilograms of beans. This food sustained us for a whole week. This was a huge relief on me as the breadwinner because for once I was relieved of the stresses of finding food for a week. This brought joy and happiness to my heart and my family at large.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of enough money and poor health of my mother are the main challenges that I am facing currently. Imagine being an illiterate woman, jobless and the only breadwinner to a family of four. This really gives me sleepless nights. I depend on charcoal burning business that is not reliable because the much profit I can make in a month is 3000 KES. This money is solely used for food, school fees for my sister's children and some to pay for medication for my sick mother. Upon receiving the cash transfer, I will be able to buy ten goats that will cost me 30000 KES, pay school fees for the two children and pay the medical bill for my mother in hospital.
