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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($438 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal would be to purchase a dairy cow to cut down on the cost of buying milk daily, which is extremely high. One litre sales at KES 60. To achieve this goal, I plan on saving money every month and also expect my husband too to save some from his business. It might take a long time to realise it but I am optimistic that it shall come to pass.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, the support from GiveDirectly uplifted our living standards by elevating us from extreme poverty. We were knowledgeable of the program and they sought consent before enrolling us. I have not witnessed any gaps in how the organization does its work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband works at a repair shop where he repairs faulty solar and I am a consistent farmer. Together, we are blessed with two children. Upon receiving my second transfer, my husband and I opted to use our transfers to buy a water tank worth $220 to reduce the several trips that we have been making daily to and from the stream, which is 15 minutes away. With it, we can harvest clean water during the rainy season, thus saving time. Secondly, I used the remaining amount to complete my house, which was incomplete, because I run out of the first transfer due to the high cost of building materials. The transfer from GiveDirectly uplifted my life highly, hence I am grateful.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($460 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
We had a permanent house that was under construction and at the time when I was receiving my first transfers, we had exhausted our savings and the construction had stopped due to a lack of finances. When I received a transfer, I felt so happy as I knew that I would be able to continue with the construction. It came in handy with what we were working on.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Without aid from GiveDirectly, it would have been so tough for me to raise money for buying building materials. My spouse is working and his salary wouldn't be enough to cater to our family's needs and also buy building materials at the same time. He would have saved some time to raise enough money for completing the construction. We are glad that these transfers enabled us to speed up the finishing of our house. We were about to move into an incomplete house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The money which we had received, we spent the whole amount on supporting the ongoing construction. We bought some sand, ballast, and cement for plastering the walls and floor of our house. We also spent part of it on paying wages for those whom we had contracted to do the finishing.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will mean an end to the water problem that I face. We have water shortages in our area and the quality of water that we use is low because we fetch water from a river nearby. The water is not good for drinking and cooking but I use it because I do not have another option. I plan to buy a water tank so that I can store rainwater during the rainy season for household use. Once I have settled this issue, I plan on completing my house with the rest of the transfers because I have built until halfway when my resources depleted.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We harvested enough food this season compared to the previous ones due to the good weather conditions. This brought me joy because my family will have food and be able to sell some for money.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have had the intention of buying a water tank but raising money has been a problem. This is because the farming that I do does not raise enough income for this since we consume all of it in buying food and paying for school.
