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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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($442 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After achieving the primary goals that I had with the help of the transfers, I do not have any new goals apart from continuing to educate my two daughters. Currently, they are in secondary and the plan is to support the up to universities. I am confident that once they secure a good job they will be able to change our living standards
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in coming up with a cash transfer program. In addition, the enrollment was conducted well and every poor household was enrolled without discrimination. I do not think there is anything that it did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the transfer to complete the construction of a two-roomed house for our family of 3 members, by purchasing the required building materials including 10 iron sheets, timbers, and paid labor costs of KES 4000. This is because the house that we were living in was small and was leaking due to the old and rusty iron sheets. Most of the time we would spend sleepless nights due to the poor condition of the house. Additionally, I used KES 8000 to support the education of my elder daughter who is in form three. She had a huge fee balance that was making her education frequently interrupted by being sent home which was bothering me every day. Lastly, I used KES 5,000 and add to my saving to purchase a second-hand motorbike that ventured into the taxi business a reliable source of income for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($478 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
We had completed taking our dinner with my family members, I remember vividly it was at around 7 pm. We were chatting sharing how our day's experience received continuous messages on my mobile which left me wondering what was messages all about. I handed over my phone to my helper who checked it and informed me that I had received my transfer. I was extremely happy for receiving it since I had eagerly awaited the transfer to transform our living standards.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that I am currently happy living in a modern, decent and comfortable house with my family members. Previously, we were residing in a small house that was collapsing and most of the time we could seek shelter from our relatives once I am visited by guests. I no longer have to worry whenever I got visitors.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I invested KES 14,000 on livestock rearing by purchasing 3 goats. This is an activity that I had desired to start many years ago but I lack the finances to actualize it. Goat rearing is highly profitable and easy to run compared to cows which requires a constant water supply. I intended to keep them as an investment for my two kid's educational needs. I also used a larger part of the transfer to repair my house by constructing an additional room, it was very small to fully accommodate both of my family members and our households items. In addition, I used KES 14,000 to lay my mother to rest she died a week after receiving my transfer.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I appreciate the chance that give directly has given us the people of Kilache, because it is an opportunity to change our lives, most of us do small business like personally I sell Local brew which I have done for quite a long time, like over 20 years and these days it's not booming unlike before.
So give directly just came in at the right time because this year I had planned to switch to selling fried fish and my daughter s had promised to boost get me some capital but the other day, she got an emergency and told me they couldn't go on with the plan, but today I can celebrate that a miracle I about to happen because not only the fish business but I will even open a grocery, I see it as a need because my neighbors travel as far as Kibaoni or Bamba town to get such commodities.
I really bless all our donors and am forever grateful for this rare opportunity.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Am happy because for the past 6 months I have been alive and healthy and am grateful when I see my entire family happy and healthy especially all my grandchildren, this means that I have great future ahead.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have several challenges, as you can see my house is almost falling down and I have supported it with logs because of the bad weather and I have been in this condition for over 20 years, and sometimes when it rains hard am afraid that the house can even fall while am asleep or when my daughter is inside.
I also have my 2 children in school the elder son is in secondary form 3, and is always in and out of school for lack of fees. Am afraid that this is subjecting him to poor performance, I wish I could get a sponsor for him.
My daughter too is facing the same problem, always at home and she's lucky because she's nearby I always go to school to talk to the administrators, to keep her while I work to get fees but I still feel it's very humiliating.
