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 have a new goal to construct a new house. The current one which we are living in is so small that it cannot accommodate a visitor in case we have one. Our plans to construct one is underway and we have a strong belief that we will be starting early next month.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Upon receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly, I have been up on several tasks which have seen our household enjoy a lot of changes which we never had before. I have started several to completion in the past year and currently still running others which are deemed to be completed in some months to come. In the last four months, the biggest difference in my daily life is continuous happiness after my wife came back from their home. Initially, we had some differences to a point where we separated for a period of nine months but I am glad that she's now back home.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to have completed and moved into the new house. Starting it early next month as per the plans means that it will only take us a maximum of four months to complete the construction and finishing it up will be our time to finish it up then move in on that sixth month.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
4560 KES ($44 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
attach_money
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Long before I started receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly most of the projects I was running in our household were deficient of a lot of things and would always end up collapsing at their implementation stages. After receiving the transfers, I have seen a lot of improvements. The biggest difference in my daily life so far is the fact that I have seen a lot of improvement in my farming practices. Initially, I was using crude tools and implements on the farm operations but at the moment I can afford to hire some machinery. I have managed to use a tractor on plowing my piece of land and the kind of seeds I am planting are certified. During weeding and harvesting, I have also been hiring extra manpower to help us in fastening the process. Thanks to GiveDirectly for changing the way we do our farm operations which have largely improved our agricultural production.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
After seeing all my plans and projects successful over the last few months of receiving the transfers, I am hopeful that the construction of the house we are planning to start will be completed in the next six months. We have started the collection of the construction materials and so far we have 12 iron sheets and some timber. We hope to hire a constructor so that he starts with the foundation preparation early next month.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Comparing my current life with how it would have been had I not received the transfers, there are a lot of differences. Initially, I used to rely on other people so much in my neighborhood for food, money and even clothing but at the moment I afford all of them. It has been a journey with lots of improvement steps which has seen us with a new house, livestock to keep and even improved agricultural production since then. All these would not have happened without receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
Having lived in a small grass-thatched house for a long time, we have decided to construct a new house in our household. This is a new goal alongside other projects we have been running at home. We hope to complete the sourcing the construction materials soon so that the construction could start as soon as possible.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is lack of a job, providing my own needs was really hard. Furthermore, my wife left me with the kids, which became the lowest point in my life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I get my wages for the day.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I'm planning to spend my transfer on on starting new business;chicken farming and also use the rest of the transfer on expanding crop farming.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement I am proudest of is from a few years back when I started mobile quick food business. I reaped around $60 per month. This helped build a house for my family and sufficiency provide the basic needs as the breadwinner.
