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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I live in a small one-room house with my spouse and three children. This house is too small to accommodate my growing family. When I received my most recent transfers, I spent $60 to save in our savings group. I plan to use this money to build a new house. With the remaining amount, I spent $30 to pay school fees for my two children to prevent them from being sent home due to fee balances. I also spent $8 to buy two chickens for rearing, with the aim of selling some once they multiply and using them in case of a financial crisis. Lastly, I spent $4 to buy shoes for my child to wear to school.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming year and beyond, I plan to build a two-room house that can accommodate my family well. To achieve this goal, I save $20 in our savings group. Our current house is a one-room house, which is too small for my three children. I am glad to have the support of my spouse, who is also working hard, selling charcoal to help make this dream a reality. Currently, I burn and sell charcoal to support my family by providing basic needs and ensuring my children can attend school by paying their fees. My spouse also transports our burnt charcoal to town for sale.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 6 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of three children. It was around 2:00 pm when I received my transfer from GiveDirectly and went to withdraw it immediately. Last October, I joined a merry-go-round where we contribute $20 each month; with the transfer, I contributed my share to it. With the goal of improving my children's life, I took $10 to pay my children's school fees to avoid them being sent back. The remaining amount of $4 was used to purchase two chickens for investment. I currently have four chickens and plan to buy more in the future to sell and acquire goats.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am currently staying home, looking after my children since I don't have a job. We live in a small metal sheet house, and with all five of us here, it is starting to feel really uncomfortable, but I am determined to change that. I am saving up from my involvement in a merry-go-round, and I am excited to start building a bigger house for my family.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 10 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I've always desired to have a more spacious house, but the lack of finances has been a significant obstacle. My family, consisting of my husband and three children, currently resides in a one-room structure and I feel it lacks enough space and privacy. Our weekly income of $10, earned from the casual jobs of making and selling charcoal, is primarily allocated to meet basic needs like food and school fees for our children. However, things started becoming better in July of this year, as we were approaching the harvest season. At that point, I began saving $20 from each month’s transfer through a self-help group with the hope of accumulating sufficient funds to contribute to the construction of a two-room house. After saving, I allocate $10 from the funds towards the monthly school fees to cover tuition for that specific month, ensuring that my children can continue their studies without interruptions. Over the past three months, I have also been using the remaining $4 to purchase chickens, and I currently have five chickens. I plan to rear them, so I can sell them in the future to support my family's needs in case of emergencies.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My current focus is on the construction of a new house. The one-room structure we currently occupy is not only small but also lacks privacy, making living conditions challenging for my family, including my husband and four children. Previously, raising funds for a new house was difficult due to financial constraints, particularly the need for food. However, with our recent harvest, I started saving $20 each month from July to enable the construction process. My goal is to accumulate enough money to purchase 20 iron sheets by February next year and begin saving for other building materials. Additionally, in the coming year or so, I aim to enroll my youngest child, who is currently one and a half years old, in kindergarten.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have spent my transfers on iron sheets for the past few months. I still spent the transfers in April on June on Iron sheets. A sheet goes for $9.5 and in April I bought two sheets at $19 and the same amount in May. I paid school fees for my child in the past three months, In April I paid $4 in May I paid $4 and in June I paid $10. I bought my children shoes at $1.5 each in May. I also got food at $4 in May $10 in April and $ 4in June.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have had a dream of getting a bigger house but it seemed like a far fetched thing until Givedirectly came my way. I have been able to buy 8 sheets of iron sheet out of the twenty that I need to ensure I can finish my house. I have a one roomed house but I would want a two roomed house since my children are growing up and the one room is no linger enough for us. I do not like that my children will sometimes have to sleep with their grandparents because we do not have sufficient space, My goal is to complete that house and becoming self sufficient in terms of space for my family.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband happens to be the breadwinner of our home and he really works hard to make ends meet. We have three beautiful children whom we want to perfect their future by ensuring they remain in school and chase their dreams. Life is really difficult and with the current Economic condition we really put in our effort to put food on the table. The moment I received my transfers from GiveDirectly, I spent $10 to pay for my child's school fees and it really made us happy. I also took $4 to buy food and feed my beautiful family and it put a smile on my children's face. With the remaining amount of $20, we had sat down with my husband and decided that we will buy two metal sheets to start our goal of building our family a bigger house. The current house we live in is not spacious enough and whenever it rains we usually face a lot of difficulties because of the leaking roof.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
As a mother, all I ever desire is to see my amazing children complete school and become great people in life. I want to put all my effort into ensuring that they remain in school and pursue their studies. We also want to provide for them a good shelter where after a long day of study they can go home and rest. We currently live in a single roomed muddy house and we would like to build a two room house that is spacious enough for the four of us. After our house construction project, I would want to save enough and start my own kiosk where I will be selling my products to my local people. I am planning to save GiveDirectly's transfers and also work hard by selling and burning charcoal to fasten the whole process. Thank you so much GiveDirectly, it is because of you I can think of ways of bettering my family's lives and my own life.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of two children, and I only depend on casual jobs to support them since my husband is jobless. With the transfer, I spent $7 on paying school fees for my daughter, Zawadi who is enrolled in school. Currently, she has fee arrears of $3. To expand my poultry farm, I also spent $10 on two hens and at the moment I have four. I hope to raise a flock from the four domestic fowl that will help me to begin raising goats. Since I run a food kiosk business, I spent $10 on boosting my business which now performs better than before.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my view, GiveDirectly does well in enrolling several people in its program. It gives unconditional cash transfers that make us spend them in a way that can positively impact our lives. As a result, many of us have been able to send our children to school and purchase food to curb our family from the current famine situation. Without the transfer, life would be pretty hard for us now. As a result, there is an increased level of school enrollment since we first received our transfer. There is nothing that it does not do well.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We are a family of five; my husband, three children, and myself. Burning of charcoal is the main economic activity in our area that my husband and I do to raise income for catering to the family’s basic needs. We currently face hurdles in this activity because it is flooded hence reduced income due to lack of market. The transfers from GiveDirectly came in handy because we had run short of flour and would, therefore, go for some days without food. Using the transfers, I bought eight kilograms of corn flour for KES 800, and a chicken for KES 370 and saved the remaining portion of the transfers for intermittent use.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the reduced challenges in meeting my family's needs because I used the transfer to buy enough food for the family. I now find it easy to provide for the family as I use the small income from our business to support my children’s education. It has not been easy meeting these needs since our business has not been doing well. Nearly everyone in the village does the same business which has resulted in low market demand.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 3.00 pm when I received the transfer. I had just come from the farm filled with stress because I had no clue where I would get money for food. I laid down and slept to find some relief from the hard day’s work. Upon waking up, I found a confirmation of the receipt of the first transfer.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income is what gives me sleepless nights. At the age of 23 years, I have two children and expecting the third born possible next month. We sleep hungry and the first born who is 5 years of age is still not enrolled in school. We have been burning charcoal but rains and my present health condition cannot allow us continue with the activities. My husband who is currently the only breadwinner relies on casual jobs especially in house construction however getting a chance is once in a blue moon.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We had stayed for a whole year without rains and my two goats were almost starved to death. I could wake up and look up upon the skies and the sight of any dark cloud could ignite my hopes for the coming of rains. My joy was made full when the sky finally released a heavy downpour (about a month ago) which made grass sprout and my goats regain life.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My husband is jobless and we were actively burning charcoal for a living. Currently, I am not able to do vigorous and energy draining activities since I am pregnant. I have longed to start a small business, selling snacks within the village primary school but financial constraints have not allowed me. Upon receiving the cash transfers , I plan to use 10 000 KES to construct a small structure where I will be carrying out the business and utilise 5000KES for the first stock. I wish to accomplish this within the first year of my cash transfers.