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.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I am planning to support my parent-in-law because my husband is currently not financially stable and has been serving on casual labor yet he used to be their fall to person. Besides that, I am also planning to assemble building materials to expand my house that is now small for the fast-growing family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that the transfer has currently enabled me to improve my living standard. Initially, I could not even afford the very basic needs like food and clothing and was difficult since I did not have a source of income to depend on. The transfer has enabled me to effectively fulfill this and also enabled me to save a portion which will help me to start a small business in a few months to come.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I hopefully will have sent some stipend for my parents-in-law to ease their stay at home. I will also be working towards the expansion of our house since the current one is now congested for our fast-growing family.
17th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My living standards have improved for the last four months. This is because I was able to open a business with the transfers I got from Give Directly. I am glad that the business is now stable and has started generating huge profits. This has helped me a lot in meeting most of the household needs. We no longer rely on my spouse for everything.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Currently, I live in a single room which is too small to accommodate my big family. I do not feel comfortable sleeping with my grown-up children in the same room. I, therefore, plan to build a bigger house using the transfers I will get from Give Directly. This will ensure my kids have their separate room in order to maintain privacy and decency in the home.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
My life has been better for the last four months. I used to rely on my spouse for everything until GiveDirectly came into my life. Since he also didn't have a reliable source of income, meeting most of our families needs was difficult. I'm happy through the Give Directly transfers I was able to start a business. Since we have an additional source of income I have been able to assist my husband in catering for our family's needs
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My main goal currently is to raise money so that I can construct a bigger house. We are living in a single room which is not comfortable since I have a large family and my kids are fast approaching adolescent. Once we have completed building the house, we are planning to formalize our marriage by ensuring my dowry has been paid.
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My daughter has come to love school because she regularly goes to school. This is because I have been able to pay for her school fee on time thus she doesn't have to stay home for lack of school fees. She almost gave up going to school because we couldn't afford her fees on time. In addition to that, my family is now healthy, neat and jovial because I'm able to provide them with a balanced diet and decent clothing. This how my life s currently different from the way it would have been had I not received the transfers.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My current house is only a single room and we are six in the family but we still squeeze ourselves in it especially at night. For the next four months, I have an additional goal of saving some money so that in the future I can use it to add to more rooms by expanding the house. I will use the money to buy the building materials needed for this purpose.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Receiving the transfers from GD has been an eye-opener. This is because previously I didn't have seats in my house and I couldn't also afford a full day's meal. I only relied on an income from the small business but currently, the business is stable since I use the monthly income to boost it. Through the business, I have been able to purchase the seats and also pay the school fee for my child who almost dropped out of school due to huge fees balance. I am glad she is now back in school and studying just like his peers.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to have saved enough money and most likely by then I'll have constructed a bigger and decent house. With the new house, I won't share the same room with my grown-up children thus I'll be guaranteed of my privacy.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I was able to use some of the transfers to purchase some critical household items such as mattresses and blankets. My kids used to sleep on mats while I slept on a thin mattress that gave me back problem, but currently, we are a happy family because we sleep well on new soft mattresses.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Because I make more profits at the moment than I did a while back, I am planning to make more savings so that I can be able to enlarge my current house. I am living in a single room which is quite small to house my large family. I also get very uncomfortable whenever I receive visitors who have to sleep in the same room with us. I wish to have a separate room for my children and another one for my guests for the sakes of privacy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
In the last four months, my business has greatly improved and it generates more income for my family. This has in turn, improved my living standards as my children wear beautiful clothes, eat more healthy foods and are not sent home away from school due to outstanding fee balances which I now manage to clear in time. The most satisfying part is that I do not have to depend on my husband so much to provide all these for my children.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I hope that by this time I will have enlarged my current house so that my children will have their own separate bedroom. This will give us more privacy as a family even on those occasions that we receive visitors.
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My business is doing well which has helped me in meeting my faninacial needs, we have good and new bedding and we have never gone without food ever since GD came to mylife.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Currently, I would want to build a new house.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Whenever we hjad to go to church or somewhere else, I would be ashamed becasue my family did not have good clothes and they would be putting on very old clothes but when I started receiving this transfer, we have good clothes and this makes very happy.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I would want to boost my business.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 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 build a more spacious house. The one I have now is very squeezed. I am also thinking of buying a bed. I am tired of sleeping on the floor.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from how it would have been had I not received money from GiveDirectly as I now have at least some steady income from the business I started using part of the money.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect my life to change with my bedroom having a bed and maybe I shall start constructing the house I want, hopefully.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
For a longtime, I have been walking in and out of hospitals seeking for medical attention for my children, this is because they lacked any proper bedding and most of the time they could be bitten by mosquitoes. So, this is no longer the case, my children are healthier as they have good, clean bedding. This is the biggest difference in my daily life. Seeing my children health.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of enough income to sustain my large family has been the biggest hardship I am currently experiencing. Providing basic needs such as food has been a challange, as at times we do go to bed empty stomach
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the days is usually in the evening while sharing meals as afamily. Am always happy seeing the smilling faces of my children while at the table eating
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
In the next six months, I am planning to save my transfers so as to enable me raise enough money to start up the business of supplying cereals to school within my locality. Inreturn I will be able to use the profits to sustain my large family by providing basic needs, e.g food and clothing and being financially independent.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
My proudest achievement was owning a food kiosk that enable me to get constant income. Although it wasn't profitable, it enabled me to sustain my large family.