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 ($432 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My long-term goal is to open a retail shop. I save some money monthly in a Sacco and I am hoping by the end of the year I can take a loan and start the business.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Giving us unconditional money that we can use with no strings attached. Also the lessons we get before receiving this money help us in the right way.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a widow my husband died ten years ago and left me with seven children. I produce and sell charcoal for a living. In two weeks I produce ten bags and I sell each bag for $5. This money mostly helps me buy food for the family and save part for my children's school fees. Paying school fees for my three children in high school has been challenging and most days I visit the school to plead with the principal to allow the children to stay in school as I look for money. The arrears accumulated as of this year was $200. I spent all my transfer to pay for the arrears. I currently do not have any debts in school. I am a happy mother.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 6 in the evening when I was preparing supper for my children when my elder son mentioned that I had received my first transfer. At first, I thought he was just cracking jokes. Upon checking my phone, I confirmed that it was true. I was overwhelmed with joy knowing that I will soon own livestock.
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 am a proud owner of a pair of oxen. I am so grateful for finally fulfilling the desires of my heart. Being a subsistence farmer, my wish was to own the bulls so that I could at least have an easy time when preparing my farm. I have been experiencing lots of hardships especially when I had to use my two hands to prepare my farm and it was so tiresome. As a result, I ended up not utilizing the whole farm. The bulls have brought joy and relief to my life. I will no longer have to strain like before and I am assured of getting plenty of yields. To add to that, I will be hiring the cows for my friends and earning a living. I will use the cash to settle my bills and cater to all my household basic needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying new school uniforms for my two children KES 4500 and paid fees of KES 6000. Paying fees has been a major challenge since I am a widow of five who relies on odd jobs. Thank God they are all in school now as the rest. In addition to that, I bought a pair of oxen at KES 27000. This has been my long-time dream to own them but I couldn't afford them because they were costly. Also, I bought building poles and threads at a total of KES 2400. This was for the renovation of my house since one of its walls was almost collapsing. With the remaining amount, I bought foodstuffs for my family and other useful items that I was lacking.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
In our village, a girl child has been discriminated from getting a better education but my greatest desire has been to break this status quo. I have struggled to educate my 3 girls who are currently in high school but in most cases, they have been sent home due to lack of school fees. With this cash grant, I intend to spend the entire first transfer, 55000 KES to clear all fee arrears. This will ensure them to have ample time in school and hence, improved performance. The remaining amount will aid in repairing my house as well as replacing my old beddings with new ones. Thus, this is generally what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Since the start of this year, I have enjoyed good health together with my family unlike at the end of last year when I could spend a lot of money on hospital bills. This is something that I am grateful for because I can save little money to help my children in school. Therefore, I consider this as what has brought more joy in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I work as a local brew vendor, a very risky job that requires me to spend a better part of my day at my selling point. I usually spend half of my night hours doing this work and I never get ample time to rest. Despite eating up most of my time, the income from this job is very little and inconsistent, usually, 1000 KES per week which is not enough to fully sustain the needs of my family. Hence, I consider the lack of a reliable source of income as what I am currently struggling with most.
