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
55000 KES ($456 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Yes of course. I wanted to start a profitable business in my community that would guarantee a daily income for my family to meet our day to day needs. Opening a shop would help me achieve this goal and would boost my income greatly. I would stock and sell basic household commodities as well as vegetables and farm products too. I'm hoping to achieve all this in the near future.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Giving us cash to improve our lives in the best way we know how to. Had it not been for them,my community and I would still be languishing in poverty. Our village has now changed and its all thanks to Give Directly. Thank you very much for this opportunity.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My house was badly dilapidated and in bad shape when the Give Directly officers visited me. I'm grateful that I was able to rebuild it well to completion including replacing the battered iron sheets with new ones. I used part of the amount to pay my son's secondary school fees and I enrolled two of my kids to join high school. I bought two more goats to rear and the rest of the amount went into buying food for my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($477 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I heard the good news about the receipt of the transfer from my neighbors who claimed to have received the transfer. I was with my son who had been sent home due to school fee. I called the helper to confirm on my mobile phone if I had received the transfer like others. I felt very happy when he finally revealed to me that I had received my transfer. I had to arrange to withdraw the transfer to take my son back to school.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Living in a decent house with my family is the biggest difference in my daily life. Through the transfer, I was able to construct a new iron-roofed house that is spacious enough to fully accommodate us. In addition, my son was able to resume studies and is learning without interruption after paying the school fees. I am happy that I am no longer worried about the education of my child.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer came in at a time when I needed it most, my son who is in secondary school had been sent home for fees. I was stranded since I had no money to take him back. My priority was to pay off the fee arrears, I used KES 15,000 to pay part of the fee balance. I also used a larger part of the remaining amount to construct a decent two-roomed house for my family. This is because I was living in a small structure, that had open walls and was leaking during the rainy season. I was living a miserable life, especially during the rain as I was forced to spend sleepless nights together with my family. With the remaining amount, I bought enough food for the family since we had no food.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
A happy life is when there is peace of mind. I am the household head and when I leave the house, no one remains at home because my children would have gone to school. My mind is always not at peace because the house is collapsing from the back and the door is not strong which makes it easy for thieves to steal from me. I have desired to construct a decent house that will provide more security to my belongings even when I am away but this has not been possible due to lack of money. With this cash grant, I am now happy to know that, I will be able to own a decent house. I intend to spend a better part of my first transfer, KES 50000, to ensure this comes to reality. The remaining amount will support my children's education as well as cater to other household needs like food. Therefore, this is generally what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Good health is something that I have always prayed for because being the breadwinner to the family means working hard to bring food to the table. Despite the body pain that I always complain about, I am still grateful for having not been admitted to the hospital in the last 6 months something that has enabled me to always support my family. Thus, I consider this as what has brought happiness to my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being the household head and the sole breadwinner to my family of 5, I am always forced to engage in male-dominated jobs like working in the quarry to earn a living. This work is very intensive and in most cases, I complain of body pain. Its income is also very little, usually, KES 4000 per month and this is not enough to sustain my family. Therefore, I consider the financial crisis as the challenge that I am currently facing.
