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 ($465 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After spending all I had received in the first and the second transfer, I feel satisfied as I am still following up on the previous projects I had initiated. At the moment I am looking forward to expanding the retail business I had been running to enhance a better profit margin, thus income to my household. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the generous support I received and hope to keep progressing in everything that I started.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly, in my opinion, did a great job both in my house and even in the whole village since everyone has been heaping praises for the work well done. We got a chance to completely change our living standards, and no one interfered with the decisions that we made after receiving the money. Nothing went contrary to the expectations I had since everything that I was told during enrollment came to pass.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a single mother living with my children in a single house that had been sheltering us for more than 8 years now. Even though it was old and small for my family, I could not afford to construct a new one since I had other obligations that pressed more than the consideration of a new house. Receiving the support from GiveDirectly paved the way for a lot of projects, and the second transfer enabled me to construct a new house worth KES 22500 after buying 22 iron sheets. We have not moved in yet, but I am happy that the construction is at its advanced stages. I also obtained a heifer to add to the dairy cow that I already had with the hope of increasing milk production in the future that will, in turn, ease the payment of the tuition fees for my four children. I spent part of the remaining on buying foodstuff worth KES 6600, and also clothing for my children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my transfer, I was already asleep in my house, that was when I was woken up by a loud ringing tone at 11pm, upon checking, I realized that I had received a sum of KES55,000 from GiveDirectly, I was so happy, in that I never went back to bed, instead, I embarked on planning on how I was going to use my transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My biggest dream in life was always to be able to construct a decent house, but this was not possible due to financial constraints and many responsibilities at hand, has a small scale farmer I don't get enough to feed, but I am glad that all this is in the past, this is because I was able to construct a decent house with the money that I had received from GiveDirectly. I am so grateful for the transfer that transformed my living standards to a higher level.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used to live in a grass-thatched house which was not in a good condition, unfortunately, I never had the money of constructing a decent house, therefore when I received the transfer, I saw it as a lifetime opportunity for me to improve my house, hence, I bought iron sheets worth KES18,000, I then used KES 24,000 in buying a dairy cow so that I can cut down on the cost of milk daily, I am so relieved that I was able to realize my goal in a short time.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have lived in a grass thatched house all my life and I feel like it is time to upgrade to a better one. The house lacks good ventilation and it often gets smoky during cooking time and this irritates visitors whenever they visit. This forces them to spend a lot of time outside than they do inside. Since age is also catching up with me, I need a house that can help me harvest rainwater so that I do not keep going to the river to fetch. I am a casual laborer who does jobs like weeding in people's farms to meet my daily needs. Such jobs pay as little as KES 100-150 per day and because I live from hand to mouth this is all spent on buying food. I plan to buy 24 pieces of iron sheets for KES 700 each and spend another KES 9000 to pay for labor. Receiving this money will accord me a decent house that I have yearned for years.
What is the happiest part of your day?
For the last 6 months, we have been receiving moderate amounts of rainfall that enabled me to plant sweet potatoes that have done so well. Three weeks ago I harvested 10-sacks and sold all of it the same day at KES 1500 each. This money has enabled me to meet my daily needs like buying food and clothing for my grandchildren. This, therefore, has been the source of my happiness.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Because of persistent drought that is often witnessed in this area, getting safe water is not easy. I cover 2.5 kilometers in search of water every morning and because I do not own a donkey I have to carry it on my back using a 20-liter Jerrican. My homestead is situated in a hilly place and making uphill trips while carrying water on your back is a strenuous exercise for an old woman like myself.
