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
55000 KES
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My current goal is for my business to grow. More clients, more staff, a bigger shop, all these are valid goals that I am trying to work towards. In the long run, I'm hoping to give my kids better opportunities to grab a hold of what the world has to offer and utilise it for the future of their kids as well.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is the epitomy of professionalism and dedication. Their drive to bettering people's lives, and doing so with dignity is quite simply beyond reproach. I pray they continue to do all the good work they have begun with recipients and continue to bless others as well
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
A large chunk of the funds went to adding a bedroom to the already existing house we had. It was in dire need of a make over, and the funds from GiveDirectly allowed me to do so. Part of the balance went to sourcing and securing a second hand motor bike, with which my husband could ply his trade of being a bodaboda operator. With my husband working on a bodaboda and myself working as a seamstress, sewing Kitenge and the likes for people, money is tight and we would have been hard pressed to accomplish all we did with the funds. Thrifting for the kids clothes, buying food stuff for the house and paying school fees were the other main priorities handled by the funds. My eldest is in Mariani Primary School, and just completed Grade 1, at KES. 1,000 per month. My youngest will be joining Grade 1 at the same school when they resume. I charge KES. 1,000 for an adult Kitenge and KES. 500 for a kids one, while my husband makes between KES. 300 to KES. 500 on a day, depending on customer traffic. If it were not for GiveDirectly it's safe to say we would have been looking at years before we would have ever accomplished what they have enabled us to do as a family, in mere months. We are forever grateful to GiveDirectly
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
While cooking supper at around 7.30 pm, I heard a message popping into my phone. Instead of taking time to place things in order before taking the phone, I do not know what conspired and I found myself leaving the cooking for the phone. I almost messed up with the cooking because after checking, I realized that I had received KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with joy to extent of forgetting that I was cooking. Fortunately, I found my senses early before spoiling the food.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Life has been very challenging for my family. As a housewife, I solely depended on my husband who was struggling, and to some extent, we slept hungry because he did not succeed in his daily hustles. I am glad and I register my gratitude to GiveDirectly because through the transfer I managed to get my husband a motorbike and we are moving on well. The struggles we were passing through have reduced it is not more severe than before. I can testify that GiveDirecly lifted my family from the ground level to a level of self-sustainable.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For quite a long time we struggled as a family since my husband is a motorbike rider but he was just employed for a daily wage. Out of what he gets he divides it with the owner of the motorbike. This was so unfortunate because we lacked the basic needs as a family. When I received the first transfer, together with my husband we saw it wise to buy our motorbike so that what he gets from the if would be ours wholly. Therefore, I bought a second-hand motorbike for KES 45000.00. This motorbike is for light transport and my husband is the rider. I also paid KES 1000.00 examination money for my two primary school children who had been sent home for the same. Since it was a drought season, we did not get harvests from our farms so I opted to buy a bale of maize flour for KES 2350.00 to ensure food security for my family. Lastly, I took KES 3000.00 and went to visit my ailing mother at the hospital.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have two children one in grade school and the other in preschool. They're currently performing well and it would be my greatest joy be able to give them quality education. My husband is a motorcycle taxi rider in Mombasa town for now earning unspecified amount but he normally manages to send 800 KES to me weekly. I strongly feel this future isn't certain at all. Getting this money will give me a chance to invest in my children's education alongside furthering my own. I would like to buy some livestock to start raring so that when time comes I can resell to pay their school fees. Personally I dropped out of a village polytechnic when my husband couldn't afford it anymore. With the remainder of the money, I would love to continue so that I can get out of charcoal burning or depending fully on my husband.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I haven't had much of those happy times as lately we have been struggling so much to make ends meet. My husband as a motorcycle taxi rider doesn't make enough to take care of our family and pay his bills in Mombasa town where he lives. Personally I do not have any reliable source of income other than charcoal burning and selling which generates very low income. For that reason I'm normally happy whenever I receive money at the end of the week from my husband around 700 KES. This is when I can mobilize our supplies.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Among other things, I'm struggling with lack of a source of income which has crippled all my projects to such an extent that I couldn't even continue paying my school fees and had to drop out of polytechnic. It really doesn't feel good to be dependant on another person to be able to take care of family needs or to have one source of income as a family. I have also been trying charcoal burning and selling but this also has very low income.
