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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($442 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal, after I finished building my two houses using the first transfer, was to ensure that I furnish them with furniture. I am glad that I was able to achieve this goal with the help of the transfers from GiveDirectly.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Most of us in the village are old and illiterate, what I loved about the GiveDirectly officers is that they took their time to teach us and explain to us how to take care of our funds and give all the information that we needed to know. They were very kind to us. I am also glad that everyone could decide what to do with their transfers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the second transfer received on three pieces of sofa sets. This was after I built a new house using the first transfer received and saw the need to get some good chairs. These will allow me have the comfort I need especially now in my old age.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 Am when my son came to my house to check if I have received the transfer. This was because many people had confirmed that they have received the transfer. When my son checked the phone there was a message confirming that the transfer had been sent. I felt so happy because I have never received such an amount of money before. I knew I would be able to purchase the building materials to build a better house. I stayed for a period of one week before withdrawing from the transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Building a better and more spacious house for my family is the biggest difference in my daily life. This is because I lived in a small house that could not host my family well. I had always wanted to build a better and more spacious house for my family. I depend on small-scale farming, I plant vegetables, onions, and maize. This was for my family's consumption and I could sell the surplus at the market to earn an income to meet other basic needs. Whenever I had visitors I was so worried because I had no place to host them. This was so demoralizing and stressful. I could take my visitors to sleep at my neighbor's house. Currently, I have a decent and spacious house and this had made me happy. I no longer get worried like before. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend KES 49,000 on purchasing the building materials to build a better and more spacious house for my family. I lived in a small house that could not host all my family comfortably. This was so demoralizing because I could host my visitors outside. For the rest of the money, I bought food and clothes for my family. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means having a sense of privacy in my house. I live in a single-roomed grass thatched house and all the household activities like sleeping, cooking, sitting, and eating is done here. When my visitors come, they do not have space to sleep and so I have to find an alternative in my neighbors. I intend to use KES 40000 to build a house of two rooms. As a result, I will have a bedroom and a sitting room separately. I will then convert the one I currently have to be the kitchen. This will ensure not only privacy but also ample space for my visitors to use during their visits. The remaining balance will be for buying dairy cattle and food security.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am 71 years old and my husband is 82 years old. As you can see we are past our prime and most people of this age bracket experience lots of health problems. In our case, we are very fine and still strong and we thank God for this. Just living our lives normally and away from any sort of illness is what has brought joy into our lives.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge I am currently facing is working from hand to mouth. I am a local milk vendor collecting milk from my neighbors and reselling it in the nearby market center. I usually make an average profit of KES 200 daily. This amount is only sufficient for me to buy foodstuffs for my family to use and nothing is left for me to save. With this trend, it pains me to foresee myself only working throughout and having no retainer.
