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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have a small business, selling Maandazi. It’s been two weeks I could not sell any because of my health condition. My husband works as a mason in Mombasa town. The little we earn from our jobs is only enough to feed our children. When I received my fifth transfer of KSH 3000, I spent KSH 1400 to pay school fee debts for my two children who are in primary school. The children were about to sit for their end of term exams and the school rules requires one to clear school fees so that one can sit for their exams. To ensure they sat for their exam, I decide to pay the remaining debt using the money from the transfer. Besides clearing the school debt, I spent the remaining amount of KSH 1600 to buy food. I bought food because I had none left in the house.
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The time when my first cash transfer came in, my children had school fee arrears and we had no food in the house. So, I used ksh2000 to buy food and ksh1000 I spent it on school fees. Since I still had arrears and my child was unwell, when I got my second transfer, I used ksh1000 to clear it and ksh2000 for the medical bill. I then started planning to build a new house. The house I was living in was only a single room and there was no privacy. So, a 3roomed house was very convenient. therefore, when I got my third transfer, I used ksh1500 to buy building materials and the remaining amount I spent it on food.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in terms of helping the needy. In my village, everybody is happy that at long last we have some aid that will help us change our lives for the better. I am thankful that with the money I will be able to better my life unlike how it used to be before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KSH 1550 paying school fees for my children who are in primary school. The kiosk business that I was operating before is no more and I currently have no job. I was unable to add more stock to my business. I had lots of debts at that time and keeping the business afloat proved to be hard for me. With no job and more bills to pay I find it hard and challenging for me. My children depend on me for everything. In addition to paying school fees, I spent the rest of the amount on buying food for my family. I spent a total of KSH 1450 in buying the food. The drought condition has also contributed to my struggles. Food is very expensive and with no rain, on the farms, we depend so much on food bought from the shops.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the text message at around 8 am in the morning. I was just from fetching water that I was going to use at my house on that day. As I was sitting down resting, due to the exhaustion of lifting jerricans full of water from a far distance I received the text message. When I looked at it I confirmed it was money from GiveDirectlly. I was very happy. I was never expecting to receive such an amount from anyone and I knew right away that the money was going to help
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The money has made a big difference in my life. Before receiving the money everything was a struggle for me. I was not able to feed my family, pay school fees or even buy household items. I am very happy now that I was able to do all these things with the help of this money. The money has lifted my living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I received KSH 1200 from GiveDirectly. I spent KSH 1000 on buying food for my family. I currently have no stable job to support my family. It has been rough for me in being able to earn enough money to take care of my family. I depend heavily on casual jobs and the scenario is that the jobs are very hard to find at the moment. When I received the money my priority was getting food for my family so that we do not starve. I also spent KSH 1700 in paying school fees for my kids. They had already been sent home and I had not been able to get any amount of money to give them so that they could go back to school. I also spent KSH 300 on buying household goods such as soap for cleaning my clothes and utensils.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means self employment for me. I am a tailor by profession. With my knowledge, I am yet to secure employment to practice my skills and earn a living. I find it difficult to fend for myself and my 4 children. This is because I have no steady income. Being unemployed, I work as a casual labourer in my village to meet the needs of my family. The earning from this job is not satisfactory. The money only goes into buying food and leaving the rest of needs unattended. I am planning to use this money to start a small tailoring business. I will use the money from the first five months to buy a sewing machine. I will then rent premises for the business at Kinarani trading centre. I am confident that the income from this business will be enough to cater for my family's needs once it picks up.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The academic performance of my children is what gives me much joy. Despite all the challenges they face, challenges such as absenteeism due to lack of school fees, they really do well in their studies.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The current challenge I am facing is unemployment. I work as a casual labourer in my village. Sometimes I work at construction sites. On other days, I do cultivation in my neighbors' farms. The pay I get from these kinds of jobs is very little. On a good day, I make approximately 300 KES. With a family of four children, this amount is never enough to cater for our needs.
