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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 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?
I intend to make dowry payment to my in-laws.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The selection process went on well and was fair to all.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The high cost of living in the country has made life so intolerable to us all. I am employed as a matatu driver, but the daily income is not enough to cater for my family basic needs though I try my best to see that they don't lack. I had a small house where I lived with my family. But when I received my second transfer, I decided to build a bigger one which would accommodate my growing family and so I used up all the transfer to have that job done. My family is happy that we have some good privacy and we don't have to worry about a leaking roof when it heavily rains.
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?
According to the Mpesa message notification, it showed that my transfer came at night at around 10 pm. I only came to learn about it in the morning when I saw a Mpesa message showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly. This was the happiest day in my life, I was so overwhelmed with joy and happiness. When GiveDirectly promised us unconditional cash I thought it would take a lot of time. Finally, I embarked on planning how I would utilise my transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was unable to purchase a motorbike before due to financial constraints. But today I am happy and grateful that I was able to realise this dream with my initial transfer. Additional I was able to initiate a goat rearing project and I am hopeful that I will be able to earn an income from it. I luck words to express how grateful I am for what the organization has done for me and my entire community. I am grateful for the timely support that lifted our living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The future is uncertain, Therefore I saw the need of investing wisely. Upon the receipt of my initial transfer, I opted to purchase a second hand motorcycle. This is because I needed to have an additional source of income since I work as a cab driver. I had a dream of owning a motorcycle before but I was unable to realise it due to financial constraints. I then started a goat rearing project where I used KES 20,000. At the moment I am not married but I am hopeful that Shortly I will settle down when I am ready. I am grateful for the support that gave me an opportunity for me to better my life.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been yearning to get married for the last 5 years now but payment of dowry has been a great impediment. In our culture, you must pay dowry first in order for one to have a wife. All my peers are married and it is shameful that I am the only one remaining. I am in the business of buying and selling livestock to earn profit. In a week I make KES 3000 profit on average and because I have siblings in school, I use this money to finance their education. I intend to use KES 50,000 from my transfer to pay dowry so that my long time girlfriend can come home. Receiving this money will mean that I will not be lonely again because I will pay dowry so I can finally have someone to call a wife.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Last December I managed to buy a 0.2-acre piece of land in this village. I feel like it was a great achievement and it is one of the things that made me happy
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am in the business of buying and selling livestock for profit and lack of enough capital to expand my business has been a great challenge. I am not able to buy enough cows to maximize profits. My wish is to buy 5 cows every week but I can only manage two. I am happy that I have been enrolled and I intend to inject KES 20,000 in increase my capital
