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 ($443 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Apparently, I do not have any new goals considering that I am yet to achieve the ones I had initiated before such as building a house.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The goodness about GiveDirectly is that we were enlighten about it's vision which did resonate with our situation. Thank you GiveDirectly. I can not site anything that did not go well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I had not finish purchasing a piece of land using my savings, I decided to spend KES 8500 to offset the balance. Currently I am a proud owner of a piece of land and soon I will be developing it .Even though I am still accommodated by in-laws, I am not troubled because it is just a matter of time before I have a house of my own. Besides, I bought two wooden beds and mattresses for both of us as a family. We are glad that we do not sleep down on the floor. Finally, I managed to buy 15 pieces of iron sheet which will be used to kick start the construction of our house and two goats which will come in handy should I have an emergency. To make ends meet, my husband and I have been working as a casual labourer and cook respectively. I am grateful for GiveDirectly cash transfer intervention.
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?
My son came running towards me immediately. I arrived at my house after fetching water in the morning. He broke the good news that I had received my first transfer. I could not believe it and I checked my phone to confirm if indeed it was true. To my utter surprise, I found out that I had received my first transfer. I broke into a dance as I sang an old folk song, celebrating that auspicious moment. Later that evening, I sat with all my family members and we planned how best to use the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Buying the piece of land is the biggest difference in my life since receiving the transfer. I have always lived in fear that the owner of the land I am currently living in will chase us away and we will have nowhere to go. Buying this land will provide me a place to call home and plan accordingly to improve my future together with my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have spent over 20 years living on someone’s land. My biggest dream was to own my parcel of land so that o could leave in peace together with my family. I worked as a cook in a school cooking meals for children but I lost my job when the corona pandemic struck our country after parents could not pay for my services. I currently depend on casual jobs working on people's farms and earning very little from it (200 per day). During my time as a cook, I saved some money (KES 14000) and used it to pay for the land. When I lost my job, I longer saved, and I struggled to finish paying for the land. When I received my first transfer, I spent KES 40000 to pay for the land, and this gave me renewed hope of owning land. I spent KES 4500 on paying school fees for my five children, who are all in primary school, to avoid them being sent home. I bought new school uniforms for my children after surviving the last term with worn and torn uniforms. Finally, I spent the remaining amount on buying food for my family to sustain them during the hard economic times.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means owning a plot of my own. I am a squatter living in a parcel of land purchased by my co-wife's son. This worries me because at any given moment I can be evicted from the only place I call home. I am planning to use 60,000 KES of my transfers to purchase a piece of land. The remaining amount to build a house in the plot I would have acquired.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have been doing charcoal business whole of my life. The business is not doing well due to the drought conditions we are currently experiencing. We have been going through tough economic times as a family until last week I got employed as a cook in a primary school. I am now sure that I can put food on the table for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability has been my major challenge. I was relying on charcoal business as a source of livelihood for me and my five children until this month when I got engaged as a cook in a nearby primary school. I will be earning 6000 KES starting at the end of February. This amount is still not enough for the education expenses for my five children as well as food. This is the main reason I have not been able to save even a single coin for me to be able to own a home.
