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
53200 KES ($467 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?
The old house constructed with mud on the walls and has been sheltering my family of three now looks older, especially with the crevices that are slowly widening and can easily allow rodents and other harmful insects in. I had no plan to neither construct nor renovate it with the first or the second transfer since I had a lot to prioritize. At the moment, I have a new goal to renovate it by replacing the mud with sand and cement that would make it more stronger and durable.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The dark village that was marked by small grass-thatched huts with latent lamps that would only be lighted late in the evening due to the high cost of kerosene has completely changed and lighted up but the solar lighting system that many obtained after the transfers. In my opinion, GiveDirectly did great work by allowing us to spend the money in addressing the challenges we had without it getting involved in planning. I have no complaints and have not gotten any complaints from the villagers towards GiveDirectly. We are thankful for every step that we have taken in transforming our living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The construction of a new house and a kitchen for my family of three topped my list of expenditures when I received my second transfer. MY son had been moving from one household to the other seeking accommodation every night since the single old house I had at home could not give him a room. I had to spend KES 30000 on the construction materials and the labor charges paid to the constructor specifically for his house that is now complete and he comfortably sleeps and wakes up on his own time. I also spent another KES 13000 on the construction of a small kitchen that has created more space that was set aside as a kitchen in the bigger house. The air in our living room is now clear and devoid of the fumes and soot from the kitchen. I later spend the remaining KES 9500 on the payment of college tuition for my son. I am happy for the transformation that my household has registered in the past few months and hoping that I will keep working hard on other projects that I established with the first transfer.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
My heart was filled with happiness the moment I realized that I had received some cash from GiveDirectly. This money gave me hope that I would be able to attain my goal of building a decent kitchen for my family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I no longer worry where to get grass to replace the old ones for the roofing of my kitchen. This is because I was able to build a more spacious iron-roofed kitchen using part of my transfers. Also, building this kitchen has boosted my self esteem. This is because I am not afraid anymore to welcome any visitors to my home as I am assured that they will have a place to sleep in comfortably.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 20000 to build a spacious kitchen for my family. We settled on this as a family so that whenever we have visitors, they would have a place to sleep. Also, I spent KES 8000 to buy a goat and some chicken as a way of investing this money. I saved around KES 20000 that I am planning to spend them on clothes and purchase a goat.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
One of my secondary houses is a tiny 11year-old hut made of grass. It has grown weary and old, such that every rainy season is a nightmare. Receiving this money is quite a huge relief as I will get to build a new house for my children to sleep in and as a decent host for my guests. This structure will cost about $250 to completion. My children and guests will sleep comfortably devoid of the bracing night cold and occasional rain fall.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Casual labour is hard to come by in my village. Waking up to one in the morning is a great privilege. This becomes the happiest part of the day as I get to earn about $2 to buy basic household needs like sugar, milk and maize flour.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a single father of 3. Four years ago, I lost my wife of 34 years to blood pressure. It is until her demise that I was hit by the hardship of having to raise our children singlehandedly. Before her untimely death, we used to join hands to engage in casual labour in the village so as to put a meal on the table. Now that am alone, we live from hand to mouth as I have to go out early in the morning to cultivate people's farms for as little as $2 at the end of the day. This is only enough to feed my family but leaves nothing to educate them.
