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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($454 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?
I have been living in a single room with my family of three members. The house is quite small with no room to buy furniture ,and have been sleeping with my children who are grown up in the same place.My goal is to expand the house with a single room in order to accommodate my family to their comfort and have some privacy with my wife.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has done well by providing the unconditional cash transfer to the villagers because we had the privilege to use the funds however we wanted and hence managed to have our goals and objectives achieved under the short period of time.I would not want GiveDirectly to change in any way.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am the breadwinner in my family, and have been working as a motorcycle rider with earnings of as little as KES 300 per day.The tough economic times have forced to survive on only the basic needs and a substandard lifestyle. With all my bills it was next to impossible to achieve some of my long-term goals. My life transformed when I received my second transfer and used KES 32000 to build the single room and expanded my current house. I used KES 10,000 to furnish the house which was now spacious and had room for me to buy my choice of sofas.I also bought food for KES 9000 and used the entire remaining amount to buy some clothes for my family because it has been long since we changed our routine of wearing torn and out of fashion clothes.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($483 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 in the evening at around 5:00 pm when I was just about to be done with my hustle of sawmilling. The noise produced by the sawmilling machine did not allow me to hear when the message came in. When I finally checked my phone and found out that I had indeed received money from GiveDirectly, I felt so much happy. I knew that my plan of having a bigger and better house was finally going to be realized. I could not wait for me to arrive home that evening and inform my wife of the same.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that fact that our living standards as a family have been lifted. We no longer struggle to make ends meet like we used to do. This is because there is supplementary income from the dairy cow that I bought. My sawmilling business have been greatly boosted as well. I feel much more relaxed as the head of the family and my family too are happier than they were before we received the money. We look forward to receiving the second transfer to be able to accomplish much more bigger things and better our living standards. My family and the entire village is very grateful for this assistance.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received the money, we made sure that we put the money into good use being aware that it is a one off transfer. We used KES 16000 to buy pieces of iron sheets since our first priority was to make sure that we build a bigger, better house. We used another KES 32000 to buy a dairy cow. For a long time we had the desire to build a better house since the one that we were staying in was very small and yet my family was growing larger-I now have 1 child to take care of. My sawmilling business could get us just enough to feed the family and very little or nothing at all to save. I am happy that GiveDirectly has came in to help me realize this dream of a better house much earlier than I had even anticipated. The remaining amount of approximately KES 5000 was used to buy food and other basic necessities for the family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I do motorcycle taxi business as a way of livelihood. I am a father of one and my wife does not have a formal job. Due to adverse weather conditions in our area, farming does not do well enough to rely on. This makes my motorcycle taxi business our main source of income. I currently live under one single room house which acts as a kitchen, living room and a bedroom. I have had a dream to build another house, but the overwhelming daily family needs have not allowed me to. Receiving this money means a dream come true for my family. I am planning to spend the entire amount to build a semi-permanent spacious house. This will boost my self-esteem in society. I will enjoy a more comfy and will always be willing to welcome visitors to my home. Completion of this will assure me peace of mind and room to invest in other income-generating activities for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
It is always my struggle to take care of my family daily and future needs as the household head. Acquiring assets and investing in more income-generating activities has been my priority. In the last six months, happiness has filled my heart after buying two sheep worth KES 7000. Looking at them each day is my hope that I will soon have a bigger herd.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am lucky I got a motorcycle I use for transportation to earn a living. With it, I have been able to meet my family's needs. My income has never been the same each day since it relies on people's activities. This makes it unreliable and hard to plan for the income. The challenge I am facing currently is the fluctuating income from my motorcycle taxi business. I hardly save for the future or other investments due to this.
