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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Give directly has done a great job y uplifting the people living in my community including myself and I no longer feel the financial constraints. I am now able to be creative and also focus on my daily tasks.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a single father of two. A form one and a class seven pupil. Whenever the schools open, they go to their aunt's place in Bangladesh, Mombasa town and when they close, they come back home. I am the one who supports them financially. Currently, they have school fee arrears of ksh7800. This was after I reduced it by ksh1150 that I had received as my first transfer. I had some money I had saved up so I reduced the arrears to ksh4000. So, when I received my second transfer, I saved it all to the Chama I am in. I joined it because I need some funding to buy a motorcycle. For three weeks now, I have been at home. This is because my Tuk-tuk got damaged and I took it to the garage for repair. It has not yet been repaired since I do not have ksh5000 to pay for the service. So now I only depend on the Chama for my financial support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was November 11th at around ten minutes past ten am, when I heard my phone buzz from a direct message. I had been sitting at home after having breakfast with my family. I had been wondering where I would get money to use for my family's upkeep. Thankfully I was worried for no reason as I now would be able to provide for them thanks to Give directly.
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 have financial security in that no matter how my day goes I would still be able to feed my family. Another thing is that I now have hopes of getting a motorcycle which would be used for business and increase our income.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With this first transfer, I decided to start investing in buying 3 chickens worth KES.800 which would be multiplied and can be sold to increase our monthly income. The chickens are also easier to feed, unlike livestock which many have died during this drought season. Once done I think in the future I would like to own a motorbike to transport clients. This would bring some steady income and give my family financial security. I was even able to set aside KES.400.This would not have been possible without the help from Give directly.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been struggling with life after loosing my job three years ago. The death of my employer marked the end of my job and I had to resort back to the village to figure out how things would be going forward. Lack of money has made me unable to meet my family's basic necessities of life such as education and clothing. Receiving this money from GiveDirectly means I will be able to start a retail shop business in the village. I was previously employed in a wholesale shop and starting my own retail shop will be a plus given the amazing experience I had garnered during my employment days. The demand for basic household commodities and food stuffs in the village is high meaning I will be able to tap all the village customers thus earning handsome profits.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The love I have been receiving from my family members had been amazing. Irregardless of my current financial situation, they still accept me and treat me extremely well to an extent that whenever they are cooking, they share the little they have with me. This is not very common in most societies in regard to how individuals who come from town and at the same time broke are treated like.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenges I am currently facing in my life is lack of money to meet my family's basic needs. Currently, I do not have a reliable source for income given that I'm jobless. This has made my life miserable because even puting a meal on the table involves a lot of struggles.
