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.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I will be using the next four months' transfers to buy the last bit of building material; wood, and nails. I will also use the money to pay for construction labor. I want to ensure that my house is completed.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months is the fact that I have bought building materials. I have made big steps towards finally building my own house. I have desired to live on my own for a long time because I want some privacy. I have been spending a night in my grandmother's granary which is not comfortable at all. Soon, I will put up the house and this makes me happy.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect to have started my own family. I will get married and live on my own compound because I will have completed house construction. I then will have gotten more organized in farming investing in and keeping livestock. I think I will be on another economic level because my young family will help me to better run my farming ventures better than if I was do it now, alone.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
attach_money
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
In the last four, I couldn't believe that one day I will build my own house. But, with the monthly transfers which I have been receiving from GiveDirectly it has enabled me to buy the materials. Initially, I would think that the money is too little. Now am so happy that my dream will soon come true as I will have built my own house.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
At the moment, I do not have a new nor additional goal other than to complete constructing my house. Now having materials in place, I believe in the next three months I would have finished the construction and start to see what to do next.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The greatest difference in the last four months is that I have managed to purchase all the materials required for building a house. Since the money which I received could not be enough to buy them at once I decided to buy one at a time. Now all the necessary materials are in place and awaiting my next transfer to spend on paying for labour for the house construction. Having made this great step it is an achievement to me.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
After I have built the bigger house, I plan to build a kitchen so that when the time comes to marry, I will not be worried where we shall be preparing our food. Having all these to me shall mean a lot.
8th 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 is currently different from how it was four months ago in that I have been able to easily access my personal basic needs. I am so proud of my self I am self-independent unlike before when I had to rely on my parents. It had been hard depending on farming since it takes time to mature and also due to low returns, it had never been enough to meet my basic and other financial needs. I am currently so happy I have managed to cater twenty pieces of iron sheets meaning that I am soon building my own house. I am also so happy I have managed to buy two sheep. This my happiness since I had nothing before to call an asset. I am so happy to see them grow and it is my assurance and hope of a better life in the future.
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 building my own house. I also wish to fully furnish it and this will be my happiness I won't be disturbed like now where I have to fully adhere to changing rules of my grandmother whom she gave me a house to live in.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
In the last four months, I have been so happy because of the build materials I have been buying monthly using Givedirectly money. I have been able to cater twenty pieces of iron sheets which I see it as my biggest happiness since it has always been my big dream to build my own house but due to lack of enough resource, I had not been able to. I primarily rely on farming for an income but due to a small piece of land I have and climatical effects I had not gotten much returns to allow me to build my own house. I am happy I see my dream come true through GD.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to be living comfortably in my own house. I expect to have gotten married and will be living happily with my wife. I also expect my two sheep to be about to calf hence will be of a higher value and this will always be my happiness in life.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
4560 KES ($45 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
attach_money
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 payments from GiveDirectly is that I used to live in my grandmother's house which had been abandoned and it was almost falling down. During the night I couldn't sleep well because it was very cold. My parent could not afford to build a house for me because they were struggling to raise money to pay school fees for my other siblings in college and secondary school. I have bought twelve iron sheet and I'm planning on building a better house where I would sleep well and even settle down well without having to move to a grandmother's place.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six month in that I will have started a business of buying and selling goats, I will use the profit to buy a dairy cow and this will enable me and my family to cut the cost of buying milk.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from how it would have been had I never received the transfer is that now I have good clothes and shoes to were before I use to walk bare food because I could not afford to buy one.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
The new goals that I have now are; to build my own house which was not possible before because of lack of income and also to start a business to earn an income to meet additional needs.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Building my own house has the biggest hardship I have faced in life. The output from the small land is not enough to sustain my own needs and the needs of the family. The little we get from the land is used to educate my siblings and I end up being left with nothing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening since it is the only time I have with my family discussing how their day was. I feel good seeing them happy and healthy.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to spend my transfer on leasing another land and plant crops such as beans, onions and maize since they do well in our region.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The greatest achievement that i am proudest of is the fact that I have managed to increase the size of land under cultivation. There has been a section of our land which has been lying idle and I saw the need to plant more crops such as maize, beans and onion in order to sustain our family. My hardwork in the farm has paid since I have managed to increase the output and my family is happy.