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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving us the unconditional transfer. The transfer has helped many in my village. The villagers are thrilled because we can now afford to buy food for our families after the effects of the drought in our area. With the funds, we can take care of our most pressing needs. I commend the organization for that.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Recently, my house came down because of the strong winds and rotting of poles. I have spent the last week three weeks sleeping inside the kitchen. The kitchen is an open structure with no doors, forcing me to survive the chilly weather during the night. Immediately I received my transfer, I spent KSH 600 in buying new building poles. I bought them so that I can eventually start building a new house where we are going to live together with my family as we currently do not have a house. In addition, I spent KSH to buy food for my family. I earn a living by selling woven sisal mats. I sell a mat at KSH 300 and I can make a minimum of 10 mats in a month. The earnings I get are not always enough to cater to all my family's needs. On this fateful day, I had sold none of the mats I had and hard no money. Besides buying food for the family, I spent KSH 1000 to clear part of a school fee debt that was mounting to KSH 4000. I decide to pay so that my children would stay in school and continue with their education. The other reason I paid is to restore the lost commitment between the school administration and I that I would pay off the date.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 11am and I had just arrived home from a journey when I found out that I had received the money from GiveDirectly. I was so happy when I got the money because my doubts about the authenticity or genuineness of the program. I was so grateful that I had been told the truth and that it wasn't a lie.
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 money from GiveDirectly is that I am living a good life of reduced hardships unlike before. I no longer have to ask for foodstuffs on credit from the local kiosks in the neighborhood, who most of them had grown tired and had resolved to be giving me excuses just not give me the assistance I'm asking for. Therefore, when I started receiving money from GiveDirectly, I can confidently ask for anything that I need and give them a particular time frame by which I'll settle my debt, all thanks to GiveDirectly. I am so grateful that even in school, my children aren't sent home without notice given to me because the teachers know that I can always keep my word in as far as paying my children's school fees is concerned.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the transfer on addressing the most pressing challenges which was getting food for my family as well as paying my children's school fees. I spent KES 700 on buying food because getting it had been a serious challenge which led to my children going to school without having eaten, and this used to make me so sad and unhappy. Therefore, I made food the first priority when I received the money from GiveDirectly because even if I get to pay their school fees still they will need to eat for them to study comfortably. I spent the other KES 500 on paying for my children's school fees because I want my children to get a good education without interruption or disruption, with the little opportunity I get. This is because I not only believe but also know for sure that with a good education they will be able to find employment in the future, and I will inturn I'll be able to count on them in the future to help me address the financial challenges I will be facing.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I used to live in a community land before located about 15 Kilometres from my current home. However, family wrangles emanated because the land was no longer enough. I later opted to buy my own land away from the community land. The cost of the entire land was 100,000KES and I managed to pay 70,000KES in installments. I have been unable to pay the 30,000KES balance because of the financial constraints attributed by the prolonged drought in my area. Therefore, I am planning to use the GiveDirectly transfers to offset this debt so that I can live a peaceful life. I will use a further 40,000KES to start a chicken rearing business to boost my family's income generating sources. The profits from the sale of chicken and eggs will enable me pay for my children school does and at the same time attend to different family needs such as food and clothing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My grandchildren visited five months ago and brought me a gift; a piece of a traditional cloth commonly worn by men in my community. I had always desired to possess this cloth and getting it from my grandchildren made me happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest challenge I am currently facing. I am jobless and with the big size of my family, I have been unable to provide enough food for them. I have been relying on subsistence farming for many years growing maize. The current drought in my area has made me fail to harvest anything for 13 months now. This has made me resort to charcoal burning, an energy draining occupation that has affected my health. The income from the sell of charcoal is approximately 4,800KES per month, an amount that can not assure my family of enough food supply for the entire month.
