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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($489 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer. This is because I have been able to build a more spacious iron-roofed house for my family. Due to this, I will be harvesting rain water for domestic use and for drinking. Also, I will no longer be worrying on where to get new grass to use in replacing the old ones to avoid my roof from leaking.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving out financial aid to people and I do not see anything that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfers, I spent KES 30,000 to purchase a dairy cow. I settled on this so that it would act as a reminder of GiveDirectly in our lives. Also, I spent around KES 10,000 to buy three sets of seats. We decided to buy them since the ones we had were old and few. We used the remaining amount on food and other household necessities.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($494 USD)
access_time almost 4 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was just fro milking my cow in the morning when I heard my phone beep and on checking it was a MPESA message fro GiveDirectly. I could not believe my eyes and I rushed to tell my husband. He was so excited, we to took breakfast and left immediately to go collect the transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I used to live in 2 grass thatched houses. I demolished on to get space to build one with an iron roof and everyone at home is very excited. I did not know that at any time in my life I would own a iron roof house. We used to sleep on a very old mattress but now we have a good night rest thanks to GiveDirectly transfers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am building a house which will have an iron roof. I also bought 2 bags of maize, clothes for my household members , a mattress and ploughed three quarter of an acre of land where I have planted maize.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that my family shall have sufficient and reliable source of milk for consumption. The little income that we usually hqin from the tediuous casual jobs we do is hardly enough to sustain us, hence we could not afford to purchase our own cow. Since milk serves as a one of our most valued and commonly used food products, it has been expensive for us to continually purchase it because we have never managed to buy and keep a cow. I greatly thank God and GiveDirectly for the timely intervention.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon when taking a rest and spending time with my family members. This is the moment that I feel happy as a responsible parent who cares for my family. Besides, I restore energy for the next household duties.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in life is the continued inadequacy of food in our household. The varied types of casual work that we normally do at our vicinity could fetch relatively low and irregular income. Besides, we could not do crop farming due to the unfavorable climatic conditions in our area. Hence, we frequently go to bed hungry.
