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 ($470 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before receiving the transfer we had aligned with my wife on how we would spend our transfer, the goals never changed because building a decent home and a kitchen house was our major priority, we were unable to build this before due to unreliable sources of income, I am glad that GiveDirectly brought so much happiness in our lives.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly model of operation is unique, this is because we were allowed to decide on what we wanted to do with the transfer that we had received, secondly the living standard in our society today is admirable, so far I don't see anything that is done wrongly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a masonry by profession, at the moment the demand of people who are building new houses in the village is very high because of the transfer money that is circulating within the village, therefore I decided to pause my project of building a house so that I can work first and earn some extra cash, hence I saved KES 35,000 so that I would construct a house that I was unable to build before due to unreliable sources of income, I then used the remaining amount of money in buying foodstuff, clothes and other Christmas expenses. I am happy that I would be able to lift my living standard to another level.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($497 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I am a mason and I was on top of a roof that morning building a house for one of my neighbors when I heard my phone ring. I decided to check and know who would have sent me an SMS at that time while wishing that it was someone calling me for a job. Upon reading its content, I became so happy as it indicated that I had received the promised aid from GiveDirectly. I continued with my work while whispering a word of prayer thanking God for the blessings that had just come in that would enable me to fulfill my wish of owning a pair of oxen.
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 currently have an alternative reliable source of income for my family during the farming season as I am now a proud owner of a pair of oxen. I will be using this income to pay school fees for my children and to meet our basic needs. Owning this pair will also enable me to practice timely cultivation that will lead to increased yields and higher returns as I will be spending less on the input since I will not be incurring the cost of hiring a tractor for land preparation and planting purposes. I am grateful and happy that I have been able to achieve this goal and I will forever remain indebted to GiveDirectly for enabling me to achieve this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It has always been my dream to own a pair of oxen but I had not been able to achieve this due to financial constraints. As a mason, the money I usually earn was not enough to buy our basic needs, pay school fees for my children and still achieve my goals and I am glad that my transfer came in handy as I was able to spend KES 36000 to buy a pair. I will be using it for farm preparation purposes and also lease it to people to earn an income that I can use in paying school fees for my children. In addition, I spent KES 10000 improving my house by fixing some ceilings to make my house look good and more appealing and used the remaining KES 8000 to buy some basic needs for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My dream is to have a well ventilated kitchen. Even though it's separate from the main house, it's very old with a grass roof. The roof has started falling off and when it rains it pours inside. Since it's small the soot and smoke make it difficult to cook inside, that is why receiving this money will mean a lot to us. We'll be able to build a new kitchen by using KES 25,000 of the transfer, buy a dairy cow worth KES 25,000 and the remaining amount for food and clothes.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening, because that is when I get paid and can use that money to put food on our table. Each day I wake up early, go to the nearest town to look for house construction jobs, when I'm lucky enough to be assigned some tasks, I work untill evening and get paid.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I face is unemployment. I currently work as a casual labourer in house construction. The job is not guaranteed and some months I have to resort back to subsistence farming to support my family. When I get a temporary contract I get paid KES 700 on the days I'm able to work yet wife and children depend on that money for food, school fees and other needs.
