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
53150 KES ($465 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My dream currently is for me to be able to start up a business, though at the moment I don't have any idea how I will raise the money. But I am hopeful that with a positive and open mind trusting that my dream would be realised someday
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
We are grateful for the support that uplifted our lives amazingly by lowering the poverty level in our community. We cannot ask for more but to be thankful for being among the nations that are receiving unconditional cash from GiveDirectly. So far I haven't witnessed any inefficiencies.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my second transfer, I prioritised building a decent house for my family. This is because the house that we were living in before was small and the other one was grass-thatched. Thus upon receiving the money I opted to use all of it in the construction. I was unable to construct a house before since I depend on farming which is no longer productive like before due to poor weather patterns. I am so grateful for the support that changed my living standards to a better one.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($496 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 9 am when I received my transfer, I was at home relaxing after I was done doing my normal house chores when I heard my phone ringing, it never crossed my mind that it was the promised transfer, I picked my phone to check and that was when realized that I had received a huge amount of money from the organization, I was overwhelmed with joy, I immediately called my husband to inform him of the good news that we had received. I started planning on how I would spend the money, I knew that my plans would be realized because I already had the money at hand.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that I have managed to accomplish so much that I never thought that I would have achieved in a short period due to financial constraints, in that, I bought a dairy cow meaning that I would be able to save up on the daily cost of milk, I am also hopeful that I will be able to earn an income by selling milk to my neighbours. I also managed to repair my house that was looking old by renovating it, lastly, I bought enough foodstuffs that would last us for a while. I am so grateful for the support that lifted our living standard amazingly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a consistent farmer in the village and a mother of three children, For a long time now I have been buying milk for our daily consumption which is very expensive for us due to unreliable sources of income, Therefore, I used my first transfer in buying a dairy cow worth KES 40,000. I am hopeful that soon my children would have enough milk. In addition to that, I repaired my old house, Lastly, I bought foodstuffs with the remaining transfer. I am humbled and happy that I was able to accomplish so much within a short period, my children are happy now that we own a dairy cow. The support that I got from GiveDirectly lifted my life to a higher level and I am thankful for it,
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I primarily depend on subsistence farming to meet my family's needs and since crop farming doesn't do well due to long drought in our area, livestock keeping becomes a reliable source of income. To be receiving this cash transfer means I will have added cows to my farm. I wish to use KES40000 to buy a dairy cow to add to my heart. I prefer adding cows since they will assure us a consistent income from milk sales thus can meet my family's needs. I am lucky to have to build a kitchen and a living house that has given my young family the comfort and pride of having a home. I have a grass-thatched Kitchen which is old making it slowly unfit to stay in and regular replacement of grass makes it expensive for us. I am planning to spend KES50000 to build a new iron-roofed house so that as my children grow older they will have good place to spend their nights and enough space for their studies. I will use KES20000 on my family basic needs mainly clothing and food and household items.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day since this is the time I am back home. I have a young family and spending time with them is always my happiness and because I can not pay enough attention to them during day time, I always prefer bonding with them in the evening as I relax.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I got married before I cleared my secondary school thus I largely relied on my husband for my family's needs. Raising my school fee together with meeting daily household needs wasn't easy for my husband and I remember we would frequent go without food then since we couldn't afford. To me going to bed with empty stomach was the biggest hardship I have ever faced in my life.
