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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($428 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
This year, I was planning to start vegetable farming. Accomplishing this means that I will be earning extra income that I will spend to pay school fees for my children as well as providing basic needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What GiveDirectly does well is giving us unconditional cash transfers that we spend on empowering ourselves in various ways,. Honestly, everything that you did from enrollment stage to the time we received our second transfer was perfect and I didn't notice any area that you need to improve on.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a house wife and my husband who is the breadwinner of the family is a casual worker. With him earning an average daily wage of $2 daily, he can only afford to provide basic needs like food and water and therefore, buying clothes for the kids is not a priority. This has left our kids with torn clothes that we bought them a year ago. I spend $21 of my second transfer to buy maize seedlings that I am planning to plant during rainy season, $60 to buy two goats and the balance to buy clothes for my kids and other household items such as seats, utensils etc. I am happy that my children no longer feel shameful while stepping out the house, this would not have been possible were it not for the transfers.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($467 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was busy washing clothes in the evening when my spouse came to where I was and informed me that the transfer from GiveDirectly had been sent. My heart was filled with joy upon hearing the good news. Receiving the transfer was a breakthrough in our lives since we would be able to achieve the goals that had seemed impossible to achieve before.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Living in my own spacious house has made me a happy person. Due to this, my brother-in-law no longer sleeps with his friends during the school holidays as we have been able to move out of his house. This act has made me a proud woman since I now have a place to call home and my spouse has not been left out since he no longer feels bad that he has not been able to build a house for his family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We've been living in a small one-room house that used to belong to my husband's younger brother who is at the university. He gave it to us after we got married and started going to sleep with his friends. I am glad that our transfer came in handy as we were able to spend KES 35000 to build a two-room house. We have two children and my spouse has been doing any available work after he recently resigned from being a herdsman. Because of this, we had not been able to build even a small one-room house due to financial constraints. In addition, I spent KES 2000 hiring a tractor for land preparation purposes in preparation for the planting season. Using the remaining amount, I bought food and clothes for my family as a way of celebrating the good news.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means better accommodation for my family. The house we are living in currently is not spacious to accommodate all of us and the walls are not properly sealed hence too cold for my young children. We depend on my spouse's income of KES5000 which is not even enough to meet the family's basic needs like food and clothing. We are planning to use KES30000 from the transfers to purchase building materials to construct a two-roomed house. The rest we will use to purchase a dairy cow to provide us with milk for consumption and sell the surplus to earn income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Four months ago, I gave birth to my second child safely without any complications. This gave me happiness because it could have been tough to raise money for medication. Our baby is growing up healthy and we are thankful to God.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenge we are facing currently is financial constraints. As a young and growing family, we lack most basic needs like clothing and a proper house. The KES5000 my spouse earns monthly meets only food for the four of us.
