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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before I received the transfers, I was staying at my friend's house. This is because financially I was not able to support myself in renting a house. I had a very small income from my salon job which could not even my own needs. I had to put up with the situation in as much as I was going through a lot at that time I was staying with the friend. I knew one day, I will find a way out but I did not know it will be through GD. I used my transfer to rent a house and currently I stay alone. I am able to pay my rent, buy enough food and meet other needs comfortably because of GD transfers. I feel there is a lot of peace in my life now.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
Currently, I am employed in salon business and my goal is to have my own business. I would not want to continue working for others anymore. I want to grow as a person financially for a better future hence I want to use my next transfer to start a business for myself.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on buying household items such as television, table, and food. These are the things I lacked in my house and I felt a relief in my life when I bought them with these transfers. I also used part of my transfer to buy a cow. I thought this was the easiest and cheapest way of saving transfers for further usage. A cow requires very little resources to take care of and the value increases on a daily basis and it reproduces faster. I will be able to sell some when it reproduces to raise money to meet my needs. The remaining part of the transfer I used on paying my house rent.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($193 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
attach_money
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to boost my greengrocery business. I want to grow it because I have seen the benefits and I do not what to go back for casual jobs where I depended on commissions like from the salon that I initially worked in. The greengrocery business has assisted me a lot in getting income that has enabled me to better the living standards of my family. I see this business will help me to meet even my future goals.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly is that I have a new business. I no longer depend on commissions like I used to do before I received these transfers. The business which I started with my first transfer has made life interesting and more worth living than it was before. I feel so happy that I was lucky to have been a beneficiary of GiveDirectly transfers because meeting my daily needs has been easy unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used part of my transfer to clear a mobile phone loan that had left me defaulting for months due to my inability to pay back the loan on time. I had taken the loan to facilitate my short course in hairdressing. I also used part of my transfer to buy a gas cylinder. The idea of buying a gas cylinder had always been in my mind since I have been using a stove to facilitate my cooking. The cost of fuel was quite high and this made it quite expensive for me. It was quite dangerous using a stove as well in my home since there was a higher risk of fire outbreaks which would have resulted in much more bigger losses for us. I was as well lucky to have started a small grocery business with part of the money that remained and this has brought a lot of changes in my life. With the rolling of this new business, I have been able to meet most of my daily needs much more easily unlike before. I am proud that at least I am now starting to realize some of the goals that I had set and this makes me so happy.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
My phone was charging and I had gone to check if it was fully charged. In the process, I saw a message notification poping and I decided to check what it was all about. When I realized that I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly, I jumped in joy and as I could not be able to control how happy I was. I decided to go and share the good news with my neighbor who had also received hers at around the same time as me. I could only thank GiveDirectlly because I had never received such a lumpsum amount of money in my entire life.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My first priority is to invest in a new business. I plan to open a salon and a cosmetics shop in Ruiru. I will first pay the premises rent and buy a blowdry and other items I might need for the salon.
Secondly, I will use it to buy a dryer, and other cosmetics. I currently work as a hairdresser and I have acquired some experience, I feel I am more than capable to start my own business which will enable me to save and in future buy land outside Mathare and build a house for my mother. I value her so much and would want to give her a comfortable life, where she lacks nothing.
Lastly, I want to buy some household items like a television and a water tank to store water due to water shortages we constantly face in Mathare. I need a television so as to stay updated with the current events and even watch movies and series. I am an introvert and I like staying indoors, I tend to sleep alot when I am free and would want to be entertained once in a while by programmes on the television.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is gang violence and crime. I live in Mathare village 2, popularly known as Nigeria where drug abuse is a norm and crime occurs anytime of the day. My biggest fear is being raped and being mugged especially at night when I am at the comfort of my home. Cases of physical assault are very much known in this area.I sympathize with the victims but I would not want to go through the same. Where would I start, and how would I deal with it.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition in life is to be a business woman. I want to have a salon and a cereal shop possibly outside of Nairobi. I can employ my mother and aunty to operate the cereal shop and I can run the salon.
I want my mother to be empowered financially, to be able to support herself and cater to her daily needs.
I will then be able to assist my nieces and nephews in their education. I value education and since I did not have the opportunity to further my education, I would like to give them this opportunity.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
On my usual day, I wake up at around 6:00 am, prepare myself for work and take my breakfast. I am a hairdresser, and my employer requires that I report to work by 8:00 am which is not a challenge since I leave nearby. I close shop at around 9:00 pm in the evening and I go back home prepare my dinner, and later retire to bed.
I spend my free time sleeping or playing Candy crash on my phone. I am an Introvert and I prefer spending time by myself.
