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 ($441 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 now is to save some money from the work that I do to start a small business. I am employed as a petrol station attendant. I am saving some money to start my business and be self-employed.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to start businesses, pay school fees for their children, build better and decent houses and even invest in daily keeping projects. This has enabled them to improve their standard of living. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent all the second transfer on constructing a semi-permanent house. I was able to buy timber, iron sheets, sand, and cement among other materials that were needed. I lived in a small grass thatched house that could not host all my family members comfortably. I have always wished to own a better and more spacious house but I did not have the money to purchase the building materials for construction. The small amount of money that I would get was only for the basic needs of the family. I had no extra money to save to start building the house. Currently, I own a decent and spacious house. We live comfortably with my family members unlike before. Were it not GiveDirectly all this could have taken quite some time. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has enabled me to fulfill my wish of owning a good house.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($479 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was 5 pm and I was at my workplace. I had my phone with me and I heard it ringing but I could not check it since I was too busy. I had earlier on heard some people talking about the transfers having been sent. It did not come to my mind that the SMS alert might be what I had been eagerly waiting for. I saw it later when the work had reduced and I was so happy when I found out that I had too received the promised transfer of KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I now knew that I was going to fulfill the plans that I had made.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a big difference in my life and that of my family. This is because our living standards have been uplifted to a level that I never thought we were going to reach anytime soon. I managed to saw enough timber for constructing another house and I also bought another cow which is going to enable me to get more milk that I can sell and get extra income for paying school fees for the children. I am thus so much grateful to GiveDirectly for the support.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 28000 of my recent transfer on sawing timber. I had managed to saw some little timber with part of the money that I usually get paid at my job. The timber is for building the main house. I want to build another house because I only have one small house. The space is thus not enough for me and my three children. There is also nowhere to welcome guests when they come visiting. It has always been my wish to build another house but due to financial constraints, I was not able to. I am casually employed at a petrol station and the money that I get paid is only enough to buy food and pay school fees for my children. Other than that, I also spent KES 22000 on buying a cow. I had only one cow and I decided to buy another one so that I could increase milk production. I plan to sell some of the milk so that I can get extra income that I can use in paying school fees for the children. With the remaining amount, I used it in buying maize for our consumption.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Building a house has been one of my biggest dreams. I currently live in a grass-thatched house with my three children which are small for us. This is also the only house I have that acts as the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It often gets smoky when cooking and it's small to accommodate visitors whenever I have visitors. I have started the plans of building another, but I stopped due to a lack of finances. I plan to use KES 30,000 to buy other building materials. For the rest of the amount, I plan to buy one cow so I will not be purchasing milk like I am doing at the moment.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last six months, my children and I have enjoyed good health. Amidst the Covid-19 and other common colds that are common even during rainy seasons like now, we have not visited a hospital for treatment. I am very thankful and happy for this since it is the happiness of every parent to see their children happy and healthy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is insufficient finances. I am the sole provider to my three children since I lost my husband more than five years ago and I have raised them on my own. I work as a casual laborer at a Petrol station being paid KES 7000 a month which goes to meeting my household including food, school fee, and clothing. I do not own a cow and the small piece of land can not give me enough to feed my family.
