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 currently different from how it was four months ago?
In the last four months, my life is different in that I have always had enough food for my family. Apart from buying a solar system, I have always ensured we have enough food in the family. This has impacted the health of my family in a positive way because the smoke emissions from kerosene lamp are no more and we eat balanced. This is because of the GD transfers.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I have a new goal of buying hay for my dairy cow. Due to dry seasons in my area, I have always struggled to get food for the cow. This has affected its milk production and health. I would want to give the best which in turn will help me have the best through the milk and improved income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The fact that I have a solar system in my house, is a very big miracle and a dream come true in my life. This is because I was finding it costly to buy kerosene on a daily basis especially when my children have to stay awake for long as they finish their homework. I would have to be in debt because my little income from farming was not enough o handle all our needs. I thought of buying a solar system but due to limited resources, I could not. When GD started sending me the transfers, I went to acquire a solar system which I have finished paying for. I am glad I don't have to budget for kerosene any more.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I plan to buy a goat. I would want to keep on investing in livestock because it requires very little resources to take care of. Its value also increases on a daily basis which is a sign of wealth in my life.
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago because l no long depend on my children for everything I had to work hard for my children. I am also eat comfortably without worrying of tomorrow.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal for the next for months is to buy dairy cow as my future investment since when it manure up I will get enough milk and use it for my consumption and i will also sell them and get money for up keep.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now independent I do not depend so much on my children for everything as I used to do before. Since I started receiving the money I am able to pay collage to my grandson with ease I do not struggle so much. I am also capable of buying my daily medicine which are very expensive.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months I expect to have bought dairy cow and waiting to manure. Since started receiving the money I have never fail to pay chho fee.
11th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
attach_money
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life has changed a lot because currently I am able to cultivate my farm and use modern seedlings and fertilizers which previously I could not afford using due to their exorbitant prices. When I use the fertilizers, getting a bumper harvest at the end of the season is almost a surety for me and that is what i am targeting at the moment.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have a short term goal of starting a small project of rearing chicken for future benefits. I have already bought three birds which I will start with but with time I will be buying more birds. The more their population grows, the more money i will be making when I sell them out in exchange of cash. This is a project that requires a lot of time and dedication but I know that the financial rewards are awesome, and that is why I have decided to do it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The money has helped me to achieve so much in my life because I have been able to do a lot of things that I never managed to do before the organization came to our village. First of all I bought the solar powered panel which I have always wanted to own but due to financial deficiency, owning it has always remained to be a far-fetched dream. I no longer have to be using paraffin lamps that were chocking me and causing so much health problems for me. Maintenance process of the solar panel is quite easy because in most cases, I only require the sun to be up there in the sky for me to use the panel.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I have a plan of joining one of the table banking groups that I normally see within the locality very soon. I like the idea of table banking because it forces one to be disciplined in terms of making savings. Right now I do not have a precise project that I expect to carry out with the cash that I will be saving but once I get there, I will come up with a viable project to launch and definitely I will reap maximum benefits from the project because I believe in my personal ability.
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8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My wife is now in a position to move from one market to the next selling her merchandise like she has never done before. Her booming business is fully back to life from its death bed and only God knows what the future holds for her and for us as a family. We are now able to buy food with utmost ease from the profits that are generated from the business. Paying school fees for the children has also been easy for us as compared to how we used to work twice as hard to get money to pay school fees.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Rumors within the village have it that the Kenya Power Lighting company have a new project that will make sure that the entire village gets electricity come next year. It is said that the village members will have to pay some little cash for the electrification process and I believe I am prepared to be part of the team that will benefit from the process using the little cash that i will be receiving from the organization. It is through the cash generated from the business that will help me in accomplishing these plans.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Through the cash that I have been getting from Give directly organization, I have been able to get some constant cash flow every month as opposed to how I used to struggle in the past by having to engage in a lot of unreliable casual jobs within the village.
Secondly, I was able to buy a new solar lighting system using the money I have been getting from the organization. I specifically bought this items because Initially I had paraffin lamps that were so irritating and emitted a lot of black suite into the air that were a hazard to my health. I also bought the item because I knew I was in a position to pay for it in installments as the owners require.
Finally the money has been of help to me so much because I have been able to boost my wife's business that was almost collapsing due to a reduction in capital. My wife normally sells second half clothes to the customers, something that has since kept the family afloat. I strongly believe that without the cash, this business would have completely collapsed, and the results of that would have been catastrophic for us.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I believe I will have to finally retire from engaging in most of the casual jobs that I usually undertake within the village because the money I get from the organization will be enough to sustain me coupled with the profits generated from our business of selling second hand clothes. If at all the electrification process lives to see the light then I will have very little stress in getting full light illumination in my house during the night hours.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
4560 KES ($46 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I am planning to save and buy a dairy cow that will be a source of income for my family even after the transfers end.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Currently,I am living a better and less stressful life as compared to before in terms of family provisions.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months,I hope I will have come up with more ideas and farm projects to invest this money so that I can benefit later on.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I able to plan ahead because I am sure that I will be getting some money at the end of the month.I cannot go without food because I can comfortably borrow knowing that when the month ends I will get the money to clear the debt.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I am facing at the moment is not being able to get whatever I want whenever I want,unlike when I was still employed and had a stable source of income. Depending on my children means that I have to wait until they are able to send me the money before I can take care of my projects.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is late in the afternoon when I am done with all the farm work and I have time to rest.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
Planning to spend my transfer to increase my farm produce by buying quality seeds,fertilizer and hiring casual workers to assist with the farm work.This will assure me of more yield which I can later sell to purchase other requirements in the House.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
My proudest achievement in life was supporting bright orphans through their education. This was while I was still an employee of Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. I am also proud of educating my children.