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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before the transfers, I did not have any source of income I would rely on. I used to depend on casual work and odd jobs in the area for survival. I would really struggle to get money and in most cases, I used to seek help from friends and family. Sometimes they would fail to help me and even avoid me. Since I started receiving these transfers, I knew God had remembered me. I thought of a good investment which would help me for a lifetime and decided to start a business. I used to save part of the transfers and in the third month, I started a small retail shop business. Every month I add more stock to the business through the monthly transfers and I am glad it is picking up well. I am glad I do not struggle as I used to before the transfers because I have what I rely on for help.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My goal, for now, is to build my own home. I have been living in my parent-in-law's home and I feel its time to have my own home now. This is why I am dedicating my transfers to buying building materials for putting up a house. I want to build a good and big house once and for all then focus my finances in educating my children.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on buying sugarcane seeds which I planted on my farm. I am planning to harvest the sugarcane then sell so that I can raise money to buy building materials once. The transfers have been helpful but I was looking for a better way to invest the transfers so that I can get a good amount of money to buy building materials. I feel its time to have my own home and I would want to make use of the opportunity given to me by GD.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
3997 KES ($39 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before the transfers, I did not have any reliable source of income. I used to struggle through day to day casual jobs which were very inconsistent. This is why we would struggle as a family to ensure we meet all our daily needs. I would forgo some basic needs because I did not have the money to meet all of them. I realized within a very short time I had accumulated so many debts to keep my family going. This is why when I started receiving my transfers, I used them to start a shoe business. Right now, I feel so much relieved and I have managed to pay all my debts. The little income I get on a daily basis from the business has helped me make a very big difference in my financial life.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
I am still focussed on buying more building materials for putting up a house. I do not feel good that anytime I am home I have look for a sleeping place. This is the reason why I rarely go home because I am tired of hopping from one house to another just to find a place to sleep. I would want to go home feeling proud because I have my own house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on buying two iron sheets which I will use in building my own house back at my home. Currently, I do not have a house back at home and anytime I go home I have to find a sleeping place from friends. This is so shameful on me because I am the one expected to have a house since I stay in an urban setup. They expect me to be earning enough to help me build a house since I am exposed to better opportunities than them. I would want to gain my respect back by putting up a decent house at home.
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
5000 KES ($49 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from the way it would have been had I not received the transfers in that if it wasn't for the GD money I would still be relying on the casual work. It is very unfortunate that the majority of the jobless community rely on casual jobs. It is not their liking to do them. In most cases, they don't have the means to accomplish the ideas and projects they have in mind. I feel lucky because I finally got the resources to accomplish the several business ideas I had in mind. I thank GiveDirectly for thinking of this idea and I hope to support someone the same way I was supported by GD.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
I do not have a house back in the rural home and this has restricted my visits home because I feel ashamed. People know that I have a stable job in the city and they expect me to not only build a house but do other several developments that a working class person is expected to do. Since I also don't like bothering my in-laws by asking them to accommodate me I end up staying in the city. I miss home but I know with the help from GiveDirectly I will be able to build a house and I will never be experiencing the restriction I am going through at the moment.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I relied on casual work previously which wasn't reliable and at the same time, I used to earn very little from it that couldn't sustain my family. I, therefore, used the previous transfers to start up a business and since then I have been boosting it with the transfers that I receive currently. I am sure with time it will have picked and be able to run without boosting it using the monthly transfers. I'm happy I now have an additional source of income and I can comfortably meet my needs.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
5000 KES ($50 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My goal is to build a house in my matrimonial home in Rongo subcounty, Migori county. We lack a house there and I would be happy to finally own a house in the home.
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 am now self-employed. I now have a business of my own and I do not have to spend the whole day sitting on the ground waiting for unpredictable and unreliable laundry jobs. I make some money everyday out of my shop.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfers to open up a retail shop in my neighborhood in Gitathuru village, Mathare Valley. I stock commodities such as cooking flour, sugar, cooking oil, soap; among other items. I started this business because i used to do laundry jobs before at Eastleigh estate, which could be rare at times. There are days when I spent a whole day at Eastleigh waiting for potential clients to offer me these jobs, but none would come across. This is why I thought of starting this business that would at least provide me with some income on a daily basis. My business is doing well so far and it has been far much better operating this business, than spending my days at Eastleigh with little or no income at times, by the end of the day.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
The Mpesa message came into my phone early in the morning when i was still asleep. I did not hear the message come in, neither did I check my phone when I woke up. Instead, I prepared myself and headed to work. It was at around midday when I was at my usual sitting spot in Eastleigh, that I received a call from my mother. It is at that time that I managed to check my phone and I saw the message. I was very happy as I had not received any work on that day. I excused myself from my peers telling them that I was sick, and I went straight home to plan on how I would open up a shop.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I prioritized starting a shop (kiosk), i have been washing peoples clothes for sometime now and my hands have not been reacting well to the detergents, starting a shop will help me alot even when i do not have clients to go wash clothes for,and it will also help me meet my daily my needs.
I would want to buy iron sheets to go build a house back in the village. It is important for me to have a house back home,if i can refer back to the previous year i lost my child and i went through alot in oder to bury him. I did not have a house back in the village. According to our tradition, a body has to sleep at home before the burial, and i want to build one not to go through the same struggle again. Then i can pay school fees for my children for them to have a guranteed future and for them not to hustle as i have.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is meetin my daily needs ,when my children come home from school i would want them to have even some evening tea to take after school and for me not to borrow from people to feed my family.
What are your greatest ambitions?
I have always wanted to educate my children to a level they desire and achieve their dreams. One of them wants to be a pilot in future and i would want to make that dream to come to reality and later they can take care of me.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
I wake up prepare my children to go to school then i later get ready to go out and lack for a job(casual job).
Later i go back home and do my house chores. In my free time i watch television go to church and choose relax at home.
