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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on paying school fees arrears for my daughter in primary school. Two days before I received the transfers, she had been given a letter warning me that if I don't pay, she would be sent home. I would not have wanted to wait till she is sent home hence as soon as I got my transfers, I used it to pay her fees arrears. The remaining part of the transfers I used on buying food for the family. Buying food in bulk once a month helps in reducing our daily expenditure. It also helps in financial planning.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal, for now, is to start a cloth business. Currently, I depend on a small income from foodstuff business which is not doing well. Food is perishable and when there are no customers, I ran at a loss because food goes to waste. I would want to have a business whose commodities are not perishable so that I don't run at a loss as now.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The biggest difference in my life because of GD transfers is that I have secured a plot. My parents did not have any land and they told me to buy my own to build. Since I did not have enough money to buy my own, it was just a dream. I did not know how I will achieve it because the business I thought could bail me out, had failed to even meet our daily needs. This is why I decided to use my transfers to pay for a plot where I will build my own house. I am glad so far I have paid more than the deposit required. I know when I get the business, I will raise enough income from the profits to help me secure the land finally.
11th Payment
Transfer Amount
3997 KES ($39 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We are planning to buy a piece of land as a group which we can later subdivide amongst ourselves as group members, so we have been saving our transfers to achieve this goal. I saved most of the money I receive this month in our table banking group as we have been doing each month to help us achieve our target of raising enough money to buy a piece of land after this programme. I spent what I head left on foodstuff and other household requirements.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
I had a business before, but it collapsed four months ago after I encountered family issues that forced me to close it up. Now that I am stable enough, I have plans of reviving the business with part of the money I receive monthly from Give Directly after making the monthly savings in our table banking group. The business does not require much capital and I know the money will be enough. It has been tough having no source of income and solely depending on my husband's little income for all of our family needs which makes it a matter of urgency to have a supplementary source of income to ease the burden he is currently bearing.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have been saving most of my monthly transfers in our table banking group with plans of saving enough as a group to buy a piece of land that we can then subdivide amongst ourselves as members. This has been the reason I have not yet had much visible difference in my life yet, but I am happy because I have hopes of owning a plot after this project which will be the biggest achievement in my life considering the fact that I have never owned a property before and has always lived in a rental house. I have also been able to contribute towards the household requirements using the little money I usually have left after making the monthly savings in our table baning group even though I have no source of income at the moment which would not be possible without the transfers.
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
5000 KES ($49 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My sister had been very sick for the past four months, so I had to quit my business to attend to her while she was admitted to the hospital. This made it so hard for me to cater for her medical bills because I had no source of income and I was forced to take a huge loan from a friend which I have been repaying using part of my monthly transfers. I also paid the rest of the money that I received to a group we had formed when we began receiving these transfers with the aim of pooling funds together since we intend to buy a plot which we can later develop or subdivide among ourselves.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
Due to my family's low income, I had no plans of ever buying a piece of land because I knew that it was too expensive for us to afford. Coming up together as a group has given me the hopes that we will own a piece of land where we can build our own house and forget about rent payment which has been the case for as long as I can remember.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After quitting my small business to take care of my ailing sister a couple of months ago, I was left without any source of income and had to depend on my husband to take care of the family needs. Being that he also has no stable job, life would have been much worse for us had it not for GD transfers which have always enabled me to assist every time I receive them. I was also able to acquire a loan in confidence from a friend to pay for my sister's hospital bill because I knew that I would comfortably repay the loan using GD transfers.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
5000 KES ($50 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
When I started receiving the money, I was so happy since I knew that I will be able to start a new business. In the past I used to sell second hand clothes but the business collapsed since it was the only source of income and I used all the money from the business to provide for my family. I thank God for Give Directly since I can now use my transfers to start a new business.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend my most recent transfer to start a new business where I sell fruits. I decided on this because I have a young baby and I can not walk for long distance as I used to do in the past when I used to sell second hand class clothes. I am therefore able to look after my baby at the same time doing my business. I also used part of transfers to pay school fees for my child. This is because I had not cleared all the school fees and she was often sent home and this affected her performance in class. I am now happy since I have paid all her school and she will be in school throughout the term and she will therefore improve in her performance.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving payments from Give Directly is that I now have a constant source of income.In the past, I used to depend on my husband to provide for all the basic needs of my family. He has always been struggling with the little money he get from job as a watchman. I am now happy since I can give him an helping hand with the money I get from my business. My husband also no longer struggle to pay school fees for my child as I used part of transfers to pay all her school fees.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My goal is to buy a plot where I will build my own house. I am planning to save 3000 KSH monthly from my transfers in table banking and use it in buying the plot. I decided on this because currently we are living in a rental house and we are struggling every month to pay rent and provide for other family basic needs with the little money I get from my business and that of my husband. I will therefore be able to save the money I would have used to pay rent and used it to pay school fees for my children.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
My usual day begins at 6:00am when i wake up to prepare my children for school. Once they leave for school, I do house chores. I then head to my stall for selling deras just outside my house until 6:00pm in the evening. I then head to the house to begin preparations for supper as I wait for my children to come back home from school. I assist them with homework and bathing. They then have supper and go to bed. In my free time I enjoy taking walks, spending time with my family and watching Swahili movies.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to buy and own my own house where I wont have to pay rent.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is violence in a country. People lose their lives and property and there is never peace of mind. Everything is distabilised and even going to work becomes a problem. My second concern is sickness because I might end up losing my life and my children will suffer. Finally meeting my daily needs is a concern to me because it can lead to a state of poverty or starvation, and finally death.
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I will spend my transfers to expand my business. I sell cultural ladies clothing known as 'Deras'. I have a stall just outside my house. I will add more stock to this business and include even other types of ladies wear. Secondly, I will spend my transfers to pay school fees for my children. Finally, I will buy my children clothes and any other necessities they might need.