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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
By giving us unconditional transfers, GiveDirectly does well. The money has given us hope to change the course of our lives from extreme poverty to one that is manageable. Throughout the village, new structures are being built, showing that the funds are impacting the lives of the villagers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The jobs I am currently doing do not earn me enough money to cater for all my family's needs. I burn down woods to make charcoal for sale. When I enrolled in the program, I promised myself to use the money on something tangible that will help in the future. After receiving my first transfer, I spent KSH 2000 on buying a goat. I am aiming at creating wealth through buying and rearing of livestock. Once the goats multiply, I will sell some and buy dairy cows and through this I will accumulate wealth that will better my life. Besides buying the goat, I spent the remaining KSH 1000 to buy food. Because of the drought, I could not harvest maize from the farm and I now have to buy the flour at high prices from the shop to avoid starvation.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
That day, I was just relaxing at home, broke and I didn't know what Im my family would feed on at the end of the day. It felt like a miracle, I was over the moon, that was a good way to start of my day.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Previously, I was just living life and I didn't have future plans because how would I have fulfilled them. Nowadays, I spend happy day planning for future and I know I will do something meaningful with these transfers
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
During harvest seasons, life is never that hard as it has been for the last two years due to severe drought. I had to shift from being a farmer to a charcoal burner to save my family from drought that claimed all our livestock. Burning charcoal is a process which usually takes at least two weeks from cuttings down the trees to the final stage of selling. After all that work, the highest amount of sacks that I could harvest is four and one sack goes for Ksh 400. With this little amount, I had a family of 8 to feed, pay school fees and cater for other basic needs. It was really a burden to me. When I was enrolled into the program, I knew life would change, I knew I won't have to struggled as I used to because I will be expecting transfers monthly. With the recent transfers, I used Ksh 600 to buy food which has taken us for a better part of the month, Ksh 300 to buy chicken, and Ksh 250 to buy sugar and some other necessities. I am so grateful for the support.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I live in a small house with my wife and one child, lack of money made it impossible to put a roof on the whole house. Living in a house without a roof stresses me every day mostly during rainy seasons. My wish has always been to build a better house for my family, therefore, I plan to save the transfers and buy building materials after every two months and start building a new house and leave the current one for kitchen purposes.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I had planted cassava in a big land a few months ago that enabled me to support my family for a while because I used to sell them and buy other basic requirements in the house.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Living in a house without a roof has lowered my self-esteem as a man. I depend on casual jobs that hardly come by nowadays and when it comes I make 100KES per that is only enough to buy food for my family. I get rained on during the rainy season and during sunny days I can't even lay down and rest in my own house because I will be exposing myself to the scorching sun.
