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 ($494 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?
My life is different than it would have been if had never received my transfer in that I am now living in a comfortable house like before. In addition, I was able to acquire appropriate beddings to replace my old rags which brought my a lot of health problems like constant backache.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Givedirectly did well for sending us the transfer which has really transform our living standards. Through this transfer, I was able to purchase bedding and now I am sleeping comfortable.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my second transfer to complete the construction of my house which I had started with my first transfer. I purchased cement, building stones and sand for the construction. This is because the house that I owned earlier was grass thatched and was about fall down. I also, I bought a bed and mattress since I was using the traditional beds and old rags as the beddings. Furthermore, I bought enough food stuffs for my family
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($493 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I saw an Mpesa message on my phone early in the morning. I was curious to know who could have sent me money at that time. I came to understand that it was from GiveDirectly, I had received my first transfer. I felt happy because this transfer would change my life completely.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I was using old mats and sleeping on a traditional bed which was not comfortable. I could not afford to buy new beddings at my own cost. However, I now have a good place to sleep on. I purchased a new bed and a mattress to replace the old beddings. I can now afford to sleep soundly which makes it to be the biggest difference in my daily life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the first transfer on buying a new bed and a new mattress to replace the old mats that I was sleeping on. I am now sleeping comfortably on my new beddings unlike before when I was using the mats. The transfer also enabled me to renovate my house which was dilapidated and nearly collapsing. I bought some building materials such as blocks, sand, cement and iron sheets. I am rebuilding it so that it can be more stable and withstand heavy rains. I also paid the mason for his job. I spent the remaining amount to buy clothing for my children. I was also running out of foodstuffs thus I bought enough that will take us a whole month.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My house as of now is leaking when it rains because the iron sheets are old and I am always worried about my belongings being rained on. I have wished to replace them with new iron sheets but due to lack of money, this has never come to reality. When I heard about the arrival of GiveDirectly to our village, my dream of having a repaired house get awakened and the plan is to spend utmost 30000 shillings to do this. I also plan to start livestock keeping in order to have a long-term investment project and I intend to start with 10 goats which will cost me $35 per goat. This will guarantee me a better livelihood since I will have a nice house and a project to depend on hence, this is basically what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
When I wake up in the morning, I usually go to work on my farm until noon when I come back home to relax and get my first meal for the day. Getting relaxed and taking my food re-energize me a lot since evening also requires me to go back to work on my farm for some hours before I come to prepare my dinner. This makes means morning and evening hours are busy moments for me, hence the afternoon becomes the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is generally the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. Being a widow with a family of 8 members has been a challenge to me since I am not strong enough to engage in other activities like charcoal burning which most people depend on in our village. I majorly depend on subsistence farming which is also not reliable due to the unpredictable rainy patterns in our area and this means very low farm produce.
