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
55000 KES ($450 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My main goal at the moment is trying my best to source a better paying job than what I have currently, plus also avoiding the risks with being a security guard. In the long run, starting a small mini mart to sell goods to the locals would be the ultimate path towards my financial stability and that of my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
All I have to say is that GiveDirectly truly are the most generous organisation I have encountered. Many others offer aide, but few do it in a way that allows those benefitting to feel that they have some control over their own destiny. I would urge them to continue with their good work, add recipients and also consider continuing to aide those recipients they already have, so they can complete the various initiatives they started with the funds already received.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I got a male and female goat, bought food, paid arrears and current school fees, as well as built a house, with the funds I received from GiveDirectly. I have a wife who's a stay at home mom, while I work as a security guard, earning KES. 6,000 per month for my night shift job at Bamba. We would sometimes harvest cassava, maize etc, to supplement our income , but with the drought that has prevailed, my wife hasn't been able to make much grow on the 3 acre farm we possess. It goes without saying how impactful the funds from GiveDirectly have been in our lives. We wouldn't have been able to do all we did and cater for the fees for my 3rd born in form 2 at Lungicha Secondary for whom we pay KES. 35,000 per term, my 4th born who is in Mtsara Watsatsu Primarys' Class 7 for whom we pay KES. 1,800, my 5th born who is Grade 6 and whom we pay KES. 1,000 for, along with the youngest who is in Grade 5, and has us paying KES. 800 for, both of whom are also in the same primary school as their sibling. GiveDirectly stood in the gap between my family's self sufficiency and lack of funds, and provided the solutions which we would never have figured out on our own.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($496 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was heading to the field to graze my goats at around 8am when I receive the transfer message in my phone. I felt so happy knowing that I have got a solution to the problems I was facing. It was my 1st time to receive such amount of money. I felt like ululating but then I looked around and thought people will be surprised what is happening in me, thus I rejoiced inwardly. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed my living standard.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the confidentiality that we now have as a family. I was not happy seeing my boys going to seek for shelter from neighbors neither seeing them sleeping together with their sisters in the same room. Since the day I received the transfer my confidence as a parent was restored. I also managed to keep my children in school for the whole term for once. Initially it was not possible due to the limited source of income bearing in mind that my husband is working as a watchman and whatever he earns is from hand to mouth.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 25,000 in constructing a house for my elder son. Our house was small and congested thus I wasn’t free to stay with both my girls and my boys in the same house. I also bought some iron sheets to complete my house which I had started earlier. Being a mother of 6 children, who are in school; 2 are in secondary while 4 are in primary school, I took part of the transfer and paid school fees for them so they can have ample time in school studying instead of being frequent visitors at my house due to school fees. Having that done, I saved the remaining amount for the family upkeep.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a decent house and good education for my children. My biggest aspiration is to own a decent house and see my 5 children excel in their education. For the past five years, my wife, my two children and I, have been living in a house that leaks during the rainy season. The moment I receive the first transfer, I will use 10,000 Kenyan shillings to seal the leaking points and replace the old iron sheets on the roof. By doing so, I will have sorted my first goal. The remaining amount of the first transfer, together with the second transfer, will go straight into school fees of my five children. I will use 35,000 Kenyan shillings to pay school for the whole year to one child who is in secondary school. The remaining amount will help me clear the school fees of the remaining 4 children who are in primary school.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is very early in the morning. I spend my whole night working as a watchman, looking after a petrol station. This job is very tiresome and draining. It is in the morning that I end my shift and I go back home to rest and have some sleep.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is lack of enough money to sustain all the essential needs of my family of eight people. I work as a watchman at a filling station. I get paid 6000 Kenyan shillings per month. This amount is very little to cater for food and still pay school fees for my children.
