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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3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
50000 KES ($488 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Currently, my life is different from how it was in that, I have been able to achieve some of my goals with ease. Before then, I was a hawker. I used to sell clothes. I could wake up at around five in the morning and finish my work late. It was tiresome and deprived me of time to spend with my family. When I was successfully enrolled in the program, I was so happy and that was the beginning of my breakthrough. I was able to establish a business premise and started selling clothes and finally bought a motorcycle with the recent one. Today, all the family budget is not on my back since my wife runs the clothe business and really helps me to take care of some needs.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal is to buy land where my family home will finally sit. This will be like transforming since we will no longer pay rent which has always been stressing. I am working hard in order to fulfill this dream.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the whole of my transfer on purchasing a second-hand motorcycle. I had saved 20 KES from the business that I was doing before which I had actually started with the previous transfer. I have left the business for my wife who use to be a housewife. Today, I am a happy parent and husband to my wife since I get home early hence get time to spend with my family. My wife is also a businesswoman and her time is now better spent in operating our business and she nowadays chips in our budget unlike before.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
37152 KES ($360 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from how it was in that, I have time to rest. Before then, I used to sell clothes in the streets during the day and do the motorcycle taxi business at night. I had only two hours to sleep in the name of making money. I thank GiveDirectly very much for the financial support which I used in starting a business for my wife. Today, she helps me run the other business because it is located in one area and I have time to do the motorcycle business now during the day hence having time to rest at night.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal is to start a second business for my family. I plan to open a cosmetic shop. Beauty is a good business being that our neighborhood is full of women. I want my wife to operate this one and take over the cloth business that she is currently running. Although she is running it, I feel that she can do more and better when running the cosmetic shop.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My house got burnt in the month of December last year which inconvenienced me because I had to start all over again. I was slowly buying household items to bring the house back to where it was. Some of the things were hard to buy because depending on motorcycle taxi which was for hire could not do much. When I got my second transfer, I managed to buy a table and a cupboard which took a larger portion of the transfer. Apart from that, I managed to restock my wife's business and bought her clothes. I also bought more clothes for my child and brother too.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($194 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to open a wholesale shop. Business is what I treasure and when I establish this, I know that I will be able to use the profits to reach my future goals. Customers will be able to get goods that they want all in one place hence translating to more income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily is that I have peace of mind. I managed to boost my business and now I operate it with my wife. I do not stain juggling between business and casual jobs. I have my business which is running well. Previously, I could be stressed up most of the time when I was not able to provide daily needs for my family because my wife was not working to hence, I had to strive every day to get money. I am glad that she nowadays gives me a helping hand.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a large portion of my transfer to boost my business by putting up a business structure and adding more stock. I normally sell clothes. So far, I cannot complain. The business is doing well and the fact that we are running it together with my wife makes me happy because she gets money by the end of the day. She used to be a housewife and solely depended on me. Those were the toughest times because I was not stable. I had to juggle in between my business and casual jobs just to make sure that my family had all the basic needs. Now that we have focused on business, I am I can even rest at times and even bond with my family more. Apart from that, I also paid rent and bought more clothes for my child.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer, I felt very happy. I had woken up and switched on my phone as a routine. The first message that I saw was the one informing me that I had received the transfer. The first person that I told was my wife and we agreed to use the money to boot our business first.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My first priority is to revive my business of selling shoes and skin tight for ladies. I was unable to continue with the business after the stock I had for shoes and skin tights were consumed by fire when my house burnt down due to my neighbor's negligence. I did not salvage anything from my house, including my house hold items as they all burned down to ashes when I was in upcountry with my family. I had to start all over again by renting a new house and buying some household items that I could afford with the little money that I had saved from my business. I will therefore use the transfers to buy second hand shoes and skin tights for ladies from Gikomba market because they are cheaper and be able to restore back my business in Kiamutisya Mathare. I will be able to rent a stall and expect to get more profit in return since I am well known in our area and this will provide a ready market for my business. Secondly, I will buy household items to furnish my house due to the fire outbreak that consumed my house. Thirdly, I will support my mother's upkeep, she does not work and she entirely depends on me since my father passed away in 2005. She developed mental problem due to the death of my father which made me become the sole breadwinner in my family.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is crime because I lost many of my friends due to snatching of phones along Juja road in Kiamutisya Mathare by trigger happy policemen. When my father passed away in 2005, my mother was stressed up and became mentally challenged. This made me to drop out of school when I was in class seven to start fending for my mother and my younger sibling at an early age. I started to collect firewood,scrap metals which I would sell in order to provide food for my family. The money I got from selling firewood and scrap metal was not enough to cater for my family upkeep, I soon joined a gang group in kiamutisya Mathare and started to steal in the neighborhood. I would snatch phones or break houses to steal electronics early in the morning or late at night and later sell them to brockers who were ready to purchase them at a throw away price. I was arrested severally which made me part with bribe at times from police officers but on one occasion I came to the proverbial fourty days of a thief, got jailed for one year and send to Ruiru prison. I always thought of my family so much while I was in prison and even contemplated taking away mylife because I was not in a position to help my family anymore since I was behind the bars. I lost many of my friends along the way through extrajudicial killings or mob justice and I decided to quit crime since crime does not pay.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to become a successful businessman in future. I would be able to own a boutique shop in Nairobi town that I will be able to supply goods all over the country. I will be able to support my mother in her upkeep. She developed mental problem due to stress when my father passed on in 2005 because he was the sole breadwinner in our family and my mother could not afford to provide for our upkeep. This made me to drop out of school in class seven and start fending for my family at an early age,
assuming the role of my father of providing for my family. With the profit I get from my boutique shop, I would want to build a good house for my mother in upcountry and be able to provide for her upkeep and that of my family.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
On my usual day I wake up at 6:00am, I take a shower, have breakfast and then I leave for work with my motorcycle. I bought the motorcycle a few years ago which I use for transportation of people and goods upto 7:00pm in the evening in Kiamutisya, Mathare . I hang around after work with my friends where our group is located to have a chat until 9:00am. I then head back in my house, relax with my family as I have supper and then I retire to bed. In my free time I like to relax at home with family or where my group is located with my friends or walk around my village.
