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 ($428 USD)
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 opened a carpentry workshop recently and what I was looking forward to this year was to expand it buy buying more materials. Achieving this means that I will be earning much better income by selling more furniture and therefore I will be able to take my kids to better schools once they start schooling.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What GiveDirectly does well is believing that people living in poverty understand their needs and knows what they want. By giving them unconditional cash transfers, they are able to uplift their living standards in various ways.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before I was enrolled in the program, I was living in a single grass thatched muddy room with my wife and two kids. The room served as the living room, bed room and kitchen and we feared that it would get fire someday. As much as I wanted to build my family a permanent and specious room, I was not able to achieve this dream due to financial incapability as I was employed as a carpenter and I was not earning much. Since I had already made bricks, I spend the second transfer to build a permanent two bedroom house which we have already moved in as we do the other finishing and furnishing in bits. Right now, we have separate house and kitchen as the muddy house now serves as a kitchen and I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for the support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home looking after my cattle when I got a confirmation message that i had received KES 55000 from Give Directly. I felt so happy and thanked God for the money. This was a real surprise and at that moment I knew I would finally have a house.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the payments is the happiness and peace of mind for having been able to construct a better house. I feel so proud of myself for the big step. I never imagined I would ever own such a house in my life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the whole of the first transfer on building materials (timber , door and nails). I have a house but the roof is leaking. Whenever it rains especially when am not around my bedding gets soaked forcing me to ask my neighbours for a sleeping place. This does not usually turn well especially whenever they have visitors. My new house is almost complete and I can not wait to occupy it.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I became independent 1 year ago when my father asked me to move out. I started doing construction work to make ends meet and built myself a house where I currently stay. Because I was in a hurry to put a roof over my head the construction of the house was not thoroughly done. The whole house is muddy and when it rains it pours inside because I did not have enough iron sheets for roofing. Whenever it rains the house is wet and cold and I often get a cold because of that. I wish to complete construction of the house with an estimate of KES 13,000 which will be for the materials since I have the skill already. My ambition is to be a poultry farmer of chicken and so I plan on using KES 35,000 of my first transfer in purchasing 35 chicken to start off my poultry farming business.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Most people in this region value good housing and so the villages that were visited by Give Directly gave me an employment opportunity. I was called in to work on construction of people's houses in the past 6 months and because of this I have food ony table everyday.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Even though I'm often able to find construction work, I don't get picked to do the well paying tasks because I have not attained any formal training in masonry. I get paid KES 250-300 on the days I work and someone with experience and training doing the same work gets about KES 800. The difference in our income is a lot because I am not guaranteed that everyday I will be called for a job and paid and so it is not easy to sustain myself.
