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.
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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?
Building a new house for my two sons was the new goal that developed recently. For all those years, we have been sheltering under one roof which was not right according to our culture since they are bow teenagers. Therefore I have been thinking that having their shelter would restore dignity and privacy as a whole.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly is the best organization and this is evident from all the growth and developments in my village. The financial support has empowered us to own beautiful houses, pieces of land, livestock and send all our children to school. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly has to change.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on paying schools fees of KES 8000 for my two children who are in primary schools. I am happy they were able to sit for their exams with the rest. Also, I bought five goats for a total of KES 30000. It has always been my desire to have them for years but I couldn't afford them because they were very expensive. I however settled for them because as compared to the other domestic animals, they mature very fast. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for my four children whom I have been raising single-handedly for the past ten years after the death of my spouse.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 9am when I was at my firm busy preparing charcoal. I heard a loud message notification on my phone, I couldn't understand the message because I am illiterate. I called my child who confirmed to me that I had just received my transfer. I felt extremely glad for receiving my transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Owning a decent shelter for my family is the biggest difference in my daily life. I was not imagining of getting such huge amount of money very soon that could aid the construction of my house. This is because since the death of my husband, I assumed the fully responsibility of taking care of my family. I had been struggling to meet the basic needs for family like food and clothing.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being a widow and sole breadwinner for my family, I have been struggling to meet the needs of my family. My wish had been to own a decent shelter but I couldn't due to the poverty that engulfed our lives. After receiving my transfer I spent $400 to construct a specious house for my family since the one I had was grassy thatched and leaks during the rain season. Also, I paid school fees for my first born who in a boarding school. The remaining amount assisted me to purchase food for my family.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
For a long time my biggest desire has been to provide a good shelter for my family. However, this dream has never come true because it requires enough finances to facilitate the project. This has therefore reduced us to living in a single roomed house that serves as the kitchen too. To make it worse, the structure is a delicacy to termites because of its grass thatched roof. This causes it to leak during rainy seasons thus eroding the mud walls. Receiving this money therefore means, building a better house for us.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My family's wellbeing is what gives me happiness. Seeing my children healthy is enough to make me forget my problems. I always thank God for this and I don't have a specific time when I am happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My spouse's death came as a blow when he left me with 4 young children. Although it's been 5 years but I still feel the impact, because I have to provide for them single handedly. My charcoal vending job is not so productive because there are no more trees and instead I have to dig stumps. The much I get is around 2000 shillings a month from this activity. It is therefore difficult to meet our needs especially food, clothing and school fees. I can therefore say financial instability is my biggest hardship.
