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 ($484 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have three children in school and one just finished his tertiary studies last year and it is my wish for him to enroll in a master's program. Their education has always been a priority to us and I always want them to have quality education so that they will not struggle in looking for a job. Because of this, I do not have any new or additional goals since I am planning on sustaining my clothes business so that I can be able to pay their school fees on time.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by taking the initiative to look for people and uplift their living standards through cash transfer without using intermediaries like the government bodies. In addition, every household in the village was visited, there was transparency and village elders had no say on the people to be enrolled and I do not see anything that GD did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I operate a clothes business and I go to different markets in my region on different market days. I have been using profits from this business to educate my children and to meet our basic needs on time. Due to this, I spent KES 40000 from my second transfer on buying more stock and used KES 12000 to pay school fees for my two children to avoid them from being sent back home. I am glad that this has led to an increase in my daily profits and I no longer waste time going for more stock frequently like before. Using the remaining KES 3000, I bought some foodstuffs to last us for some time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($493 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I spend most of my days at the market where I sell clothes. On this day, at a few minutes past 8 a.m, I received a message that I had received the cash transfer I had been promised by GiveDirectly. I cannot explain how happy I felt to receive such a huge amount of money that could help me boost my business.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
This cash transfer has wonderfully transformed my life. I run a small business where I sell clothes, to earn a living. The earnings from this, however, are often too little to sustain my family's basic needs. I have three children of school-going age, and often I cannot raise the necessary amount to pay for their school fees. In the past, this has given me many sleepless nights. So I felt lucky to receive this transfer from GD. It has enabled me to pay school fees for my children. I have also bought more goods for my business. As a result, the sales have increased and my profit risen from KES 5,000 to KES 15,000 a week. Thanks, GD!
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
One of my biggest aspirations for my three children is to give them a good education. I believe that this will equip them to build good lives for themselves, even though I haven't always had the money that would enable me to achieve this, due to financial instability. So I was glad to spend KES 40,000 to pay school fees for my children. I then spent KES 14,000 on buying more goods to boost my clothing business.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Growing up I had the desire to pursue my studies to university level. Unfortunately my parents could not afford taking me to college due to financial constraints. This made me enroll all my 3 children in boarding school because I want a bright future for them and I know education is the key. I plan on using all the transfer to pay for arrears of KES 25,000 and their year's school fees which is a total of KES 60,000. I struggle a lot to raise this amount at once and I depend on loans as the business that I do is unreliable in terms of income stream.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning. I always look up to a new day because it gives me better opportunities to make my life and that of my family better.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I raise poultry to earn a income and also buy some for sell. The biggest hardship I have faced is when I lost a total of 100 chicken to a disease and only 20 survived in December 2019, this was a loss of about 60,000. Since then, I got discouraged and have never gotten back to where I was in terms of the profits I get from it.
