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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($467 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
It had been my wish to start a shop but I had not been able to due to lack of money. With the transfer, I was able to build a room in my plot that is located in the nearest shopping center. I have some money that I have been saving from my daily hustles and I am waiting for my turn in merry go round group next month so that I can use this money collectively to buy some stock and start running this business.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well by giving out financial aid to people in my village. Because of this, our living standards have changed since the people who used to live in old dilapidated houses now live in newly constructed ones, and those who did not have live assets now own one or two.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving my second transfer, I spent KES 28000 to complete building a shop that I had started using my first transfer. It was my wish to start a shop business in my neighboring shopping centers and I am glad that GiveDirectly enabled me to build a room that I will use for business very soon when I will have acquired the stock. Also, I spent KES 8000 to pay school fees for my children who had been sent back home, and used the remaining amount on food and clothes for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 10 am, I was busy making clubs for my business when I saw a Mpesa message alert on my phone, upon checking I was excited to learn that I had received money from GiveDirectly, I was overwhelmed with joy, in that I stopped what I was doing to embark on my plans on how I would spend my money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My greatest goal in life was to own a shop, this was a dream that I was able to realize with the transfer that I got from GiveDirectly, Indeed my life is different now, it's like a dream come true, I will no longer be walking up and down the village hawking but rather I will be stationed in one location, I am happy and grateful that GiveDirectly gave me the opportunity for me to boost my business.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a businessman in the village, I make homemade rungus(club) for sell, though I normally move from place to place to make more sales, when I received my transfer I decided to build a shop in the village so that I could boost my business, I, therefore, used KES 50,000, I am happy that GiveDirectly gave me the opportunity for me to enhance and grow my business.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I shall build a shop in my plot. I have been been using 5 USD monthly on leasing a shop from my neighbor since I have never afforded to build one. Such a practice leads to a decline in the profits that I usually attain. Hence, the relatively little profits I get would barely sustain us because that business acts as the primary source of our livelihood. Since I have a plot in the shopping center, I find it beneficial to build a shop, and hence save the money that could otherwise be used for leasing one.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I am interacting with my customers and getting to learn about their day's experiences. Evenings act as the busiest times as much as my shop business is concerned. Through this, I remain informed on trending issues, whether they are related to my business or not. Also, I would sell more items at that moment.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship we have faced as a family is a continued scarcity of food. The little crops we get from our 0.3 acres of land could sustain my family of 7 for a month. Tropical diseases and prolonged periods of droughts have rendered farming less fruitful. As such, I find it economically unwise to lease more farms as before. Hence, we depend solely on profits from my shop business to meet our financial needs. Unfortunately, we do not acquire adequate and quality food items as we could like owing to the little profits we usually attain since I am doing business in a rural setting with relatively few clients.
