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 ($430 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I would like to buy a piece of land. The current one is not big enough for rearing my livestock.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
They give us money directly into our account. They also give us information as to where the money is coming from which gives us peace.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I work as a casual worker, I pick tea leaves and get paid a monthly salary of $60. I use the money to buy food for my family. Receiving this transfer has enabled me to build a two-roomed house and save some money since I only have one child that is still not a toddler.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($460 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I had travelled and left my account number at home with my wife. My wife then called me once she received money from GiveDirectly. We already had plans of buying a dairy cow and therefore was not hard for us to withdraw and use the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the fact that I can now save enough money contrary to before when I could not save. In the near future I will be able to use the money to even start a small business that will help increase our income and improve our living standards as a family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used KES 35000 to buy a dairy cow and used another KES 4000 to buy maize for local consumption and the remaining amount of money was used to buy clothes for my family. We made a decision to buy a dairy cow since we could spend a lot of money on buying milk. I am a father of one and I normally rely on casual labour to earn a living and the money that I get is nearly enough to enable us make ends meet. Right now we no longer have to travel for longer distances looking for milk and we are able to save enough money that will otherwise have been used to buy milk
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a stable source of income for my family of three. I depend on temporary casual jobs in a nearby tea estate to fend for my family. The casual jobs are so unpredictable because you can be working this month and the following month you are let go indefinitely. It stresses me a lot because I surely do not have alternative sources of income to cover me during the time I am not on contract. It usually forces us to look for casual jobs in the village which you might find only once a week and this affects our meals because during such periods we eat only once a day. It is usually a very sad moment in the family and I wish to end this through your transfers. I will therefore use this money to purchase 3 cows because there's plenty of pasture here so it shall be easy to feed them and from the sale of milk we shall be able to at least earn an income and I plan to expand this further in the future. It will also be a long term investment because the cows will multiply with time and they will be assets to the family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The continuous rainfall gives me joy because we get to produce some vegetables which saves us on food expenditure
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Job insecurity is the biggest challenge I am facing right now and it is something I have to put up with because I am between a rock and a hard place. I have to meet the needs of the family even when I totally do not have an income. It is usually my wish to establish an income generating project here at home and am glad that it will soon be a reality.
