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 am currently working as a motorcycle driver. To help achieve my goal of purchasing my own motorcycle, I joined a merry-go-round where we each contribute $30 monthly. From my transfers, I have saved $90, to my merry-go-round, which brings me great joy as this brings me closer to achieving my goal. I joined the merry-go-round in August last year along with thirty others. As a father of two children, seeing them happy makes me even happier. With the remaining $12, I bought food for my family for the week and I am really grateful to GiveDirectly.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
As a motorcycle driver, my main goal is to own my own bike. Currently, I am using my neighbor's bike, and every day I have to give him $4 from my hard-earned money. I began driving a bike in 2016 and faced numerous challenges in taking care of other people's bikes. The owners often fail to understand the financial strain and demand extra work, sometimes even reclaiming their bikes and giving them to someone else. Through my research, I have realized that bike owners benefit greatly while I struggle. Having my own bike would significantly improve my family's life. The money I currently give to my neighbor, I will save it to better my family's future when I manage to purchase my own bike.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 6 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before I started receiving Givedirectly transfers, I struggled to keep up with my contributions to our motorbike riders' group. I could only manage $2, and sometimes I couldn't contribute at all. Affording it was tough. But since I started receiving the monthly transfers, I've been able to put in $30 every month, totaling to $90 over the last three months. This has brought me closer to my dream of owning a motorbike. I can't believe how long it would have taken me to get here with just $4 in daily earnings.
With the remaining $12, I bought poultry feed. The transfers have helped me manage a poultry business that supports my family of four - my wife, our two children, and I. My wife is not employed, so I have been the sole breadwinner with the little earnings. Besides, I'm planning to enroll my firstborn child in school next year. I'm truly grateful for the changes and progress these transfers have brought into my life.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
With the help of the cash transfers I've been receiving from Givedirectly, I'm looking forward to achieving several goals in the coming year. I'm excited that soon, I will be owning a motorbike. This will not only enable me to run my own business but also help me to comfortably pay off the motorbike loan. Additionally, I plan to use the funds to build my family a permanent house, as our current one cannot withstand the harsh rainy weather. Furthermore, I will acquire more livestock and venture into dairy farming for an additional income generation. Givedirectly has given me hope in life.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 10 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I operate a motorcycle taxi, commonly known as a boda boda, but the business has been struggling to provide for my family of four for quite some time. I am currently employed by an individual who owns the motorcycle, and we typically share the earnings at the end of each day. The coming of this organization to our village has been a significant relief for me. The guaranteed monthly transfers allow me to save money, an option previously unavailable. Out of the transfers, $90 has been allocated to my savings account at a local bank, a milestone that will enable me to access loan facilities once I reach the required amount. The remaining $12 was wisely invested in purchasing chickens and ducks, which are more liquid assets and can be sold quickly in emergencies compared to goats. I plan to utilize these poultry for investment purposes. I am content with the progress I have made so far, and I eagerly look forward to the opportunities the future will bring.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After seven years in the Boda boda business, my ultimate goal is to acquire my own motorcycle. I plan to secure a loan from the bank to fulfill this dream, and I'm pleased to announce that I'm on the verge of reaching the minimum required amount set by the bank for loan eligibility. I intend to utilize the forthcoming transfers to repay this loan. Acquiring this motorcycle will significantly improve my quality of life, as I'll be able to retain all of the day's earnings. Moreover, it will liberate me from the constraints of employment, marking a significant personal achievement.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I got enrolled in the program, I thought of an idea. I am currently employed as a motorcycle rider by one of the neighbors and with the income I get from the business, we have to divide with my employer. It had always been my dream to have my own motorcycle but I had never been lucky to get enough money. I, therefore, opened a bank account and I have been setting aside the transfers that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly, in the previous months, I have been saving $30 from the transfers and I also did the same with the most recent one and the remaining amount of $$4 was of help in buying 2 chicks since I also want to venture into poultry rearing.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My main goal is to own a motorbike. I am currently employed as a motorcycle rider by one of the neighbors and with the income I get from the business, we have to divide with my employer. It had always been my dream to have my own motorcycle so that I fully fend for my family, but I had never been lucky to get enough money. I had been saving $30 of my monthly transfers towards achieving this goal and I believe that by mid-next year, I would be a proud owner of a motorbike courtesy of GibveDireclty. I would also want to venture into livestock rearing. and I would ensure that I spend $4 every month to buy at least one chick to add to the ones that I already have.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When GD staff first visited our area and were registering us I was curious about how I could get the transfers and redirect it to buying my own motorcycle. I am a motorcycle rider and work with a hired motorcycle that I have to pay $4 daily for. This was not much of a struggle before but due to the high fuel prices it was becoming difficult to manage between paying this daily charges and daily profits. we could previously make $9 dollars where I would be left with $5 and would pay the $4 but now I am making between $5 and $6 which means I pay the $4 daily payment and am left with $1 or $2 which cannot sustain my family. I joined a savings group and now I have been saving $30 of my $34 transfer monthly and from December I redirected my $4 into buying chicks which I get at $2 each. This has been my expenditure even to the month of February.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal this year is to get to a point that I can afford to secure my own motorcycle which will ensure I increase the amount of money I make daily. As I had mentioned earlier I am saving monthly $30 of my transfer which is getting me closer to my goal. I also want to go back to animal farming. I used to have chicken before and the number had greatly increased, when I has 50 chicken, I exchanged 10 for a goat until I got 6 goats. This goats gave birth to young ones which grew and after selling them I got to owning two cows which unfortunately died due to the drought. I now want to start rearing chicken and my hope is as the year progresses I will get to this numbers which will allow me go back to where I used to be with my animals.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a motorcycle taxi driver and the firstborn child in our family. Because my mother is unemployed and my father's income is insufficient to support the family of eight, I frequently step in to help. However, due to the increase in fuel costs, the business has continued to struggle. As a result, I struggle to raise cash for food and to meet the needs of other households. I was able to buy food for my family after receiving my transfer. As a result, I spent $30 on food because we had run out and everyone was looking at me. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for their assistance.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly provides us with financial assistance, which is a great help to us. Unlike other interventions, it provides unconditional cash transfers, allowing us to spend our funds however we see fit. Because we all have different needs, everyone has prioritized their immediate needs. This has resulted in a positive change in the community. We were able to purchase food and pay school fees for the school-going children. The needs that everyone else was struggling to meet previously. In comparison to the past, we rarely go hungry nowadays. Through this, the NGO contributes to poverty alleviation, and this is what it does well in my opinion.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My dream has always been to be a poultry farmer. However, due to financial constraints, saving money to buy chickens and ducks has been difficult. As a motorcycle rider, the little money I make barely provides food for my household for the entire month. That is why, when I received the transfer, I spent KES 600 on a duck to supplement my existing flock of six chickens. Selling these animals in the future will generate a substantial income to meet the needs of my children. I spent the remaining funds on food. My family had run out of maize flour that afternoon, and efforts to acquire funds for more had proved futile, so the financial transfer proved useful.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I had wished to own and raise ducks for a very long time. However, financial constraints always challenged this vision because the money I made as a motorcyclist could not cover anything beyond the basics, that is food. The ability to secure a duck using the cash transfer is the greatest difference that has been brought to my life by Give Directly so far. I am optimistic about more opportunities to keep realizing my ultimate dream of becoming a full-time poultry farmer through the transfers.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at the motorcycle stand in Mariakani at around 4 p.m. waiting for a client when I received a message alert on my phone. Upon checking its contents, I confirmed the receipt of my first transfer from Give Directly. The transfer was the greatest highlight since I had not earned anything that day from my work. To say I was excited would be an understatement.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My family of three depends on motorcycle riding which is never reliable as I use a hired motorcycle. Providing them with the basic needs such as food is never a walk in the park as most of the time they end up taking one meal a day which really affects me as the bread winner. My three sisters who are in primary school are sometimes sent home for school fees which has negatively affected their academic performances especially last term.
What is the happiest part of your day?
When I bought a solar panel on credit three ago. Since then it has been easy to charge phones compared to last time when I used to walk almost a kilometer away to the trading centre. This has brought so much joy to my family.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a motorcycle rider and at the same a livestock farmer. All my cattle died last year due to the drought we experienced in our region. Receiving this money would mean I start afresh my livestock farming where by I plan to buy 6 goats in three years time with a total cost of 16,000 KES. I am also planning to start a grocery at the trading centre where my wife will be operating as I do other casual jobs to fend for my family of three. Through all these investments I believe my family will have stable sources of income to cater for the daily needs such as food, health care and clothes. Some of the monthly transfer will be spent on the family's daily upkeep.