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 ($467 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?
I do not have a new goal that I did not have before receiving the transfer. I had planned on building a better and more spacious house for my family. We lived in a small grass-thatched house that could not host all my family members comfortably. This was my main concern and first priority that was on my list of to do items.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The enrollment process was done well and everyone in our village received the transfer and spent it well. Most of the people invested in dairy keeping project and building houses. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 47,000 to purchased building materials and build a better house for my family. This was my main concern because we lived in a small grass-thatched house that could not host all my family comfortably. I depend on small-scale farming and casual jobs in the village. This earns a small income and I was not able to build a better house before. Whenever I had visitors there was no space to host them and this was so demoralizing and stressful. Currently, I have a decent house and we are so grateful for the support. For the rest of the money, I bought food, clothes and household items we are so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has improved our living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($491 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer I felt so happy. I remember vividly that it was around 8am When I was smearing the house. When I heard a ringtone message from my phone. When I checked it out I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a message confirming that I have received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I stopped whatever I was doing to celebrate. I immediately inform my family members and they were so happy too. I knew I would be able to buy a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards to be much better than before.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have purchased a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. I depend on casual jobs and small scale farming. This earns me a small income and because of the recurring daily basis needs I had no money to save. I had always wished to purchase a dairy cow but I didn't had the money. The small amount of money that I would get was for the household items and school fees for my children. My children would go without milk whenever I had no money to buy. This was so demoralizing and stressful. I used to do cause jobs and purchase the basic needs and ensure that my children are well fed. Currently I have a dairy cow. I no longer stress up, my children get enough milk and I sell the surplus to earn an income to meet other household items. I have devoted much of my time on this amazing dairy project and I have started to save some money to buy another dairy cow. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has improved our living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money I received from GiveDirectly on purchasing Tailoring machine for my spouse. This is a investment since he does this to earn an income to support the family in meeting basic household items. I purchased a dairy cow and a goat. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me because I do not have a continuous source of income. The rest of the money I bought food, shoes and clothes for my children. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed my living standard.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I can finally establish a small business to earn an income. I used to do this business, selling grains, mainly maize but failed because of over-relying on it as it was my only source of income. I ended up spending all the proceeds, including the capital. I will restart the business using about KES 10,000. I will also buy a dairy cow at about KES 30,000. I will be selling its milk to add to my income. I will also restart a tailoring business for my husband who works for other people at the moment. Using about KES 40,000, I will buy him a tailoring machine, clothing materials and pay rent for his shop yo be. All this businesses will bring about KES 500 per day that will assist me to meet our household needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning. This is because I have a chance to work my farm and tender to the livestock. Having this makes me happy since I know that my family depend on my ability to hustle and provide for them.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship is lack of money to run our small businesses. I rely on selling milk but only gets about KES 50 per day. This is consumed by foodstuffs alone. Business would be the only source of income here. Without it, our lives have been extremely difficult.
