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
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is totally different than how it would have been because I now sleep comfortably in a better bed. Back in the days, I used to sleep on the old mats which I had lots of discomforts and I always complain of back pains and regular body fatigues. This is gone now, I am sleeping like a baby and waking up even healthier. Also, the four dairy cows that I bought were purposely for my children's education. Since I am a single parent, I had nothing to depend on inters of assets, and my children would soon tradition to high school. I felt this would be the best investment for my children. Soon I will be selling milk in large quantity and I will save the money basically for their education.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDrectly does so well becasue of the following reasons, One, I was able to receive my money without so many channels it was sent directly to my phone. Also, I was advised on how best I can utilize the money without wasting even a coin, and it's really enlightened my mind. Therefore I do see any sector GD failed us.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on buying beddings such as a decent wooden bed and a mattress at a total of KES 11500. This was to replace the old mats that I have been using as beddings. Also, I purchased livestock which includes two dairy cows which cost KES 30000. These have been the well thoughtful assets that I had wished to own for years but I could not afford them due to my low income. With the remaining cash, I bought enough food and we no longer skip meals like before.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time almost 4 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at my hotel on that day and I heard a message come to my phone at around 1400Hrs. I checked the message and it was the Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I was very very happy when I saw the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to expand my business and I can now build a bigger and more spacious house for my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfers to buy more stock for my current business, to build a house and I also bought a bed. I own a retail shop and a hotel where I prepare tea and other local dishes; that I run together with my husband. We have three children and we have lived in a small house for quite sometime. We would have never made enough money anytime soon to enable us to build a house. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly that my family and I can now live in a more spacious house and we were able to expand our business also.
Enrolled
access_time almost 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My business of selling take-away foodstuffs has been faced with a lot of challenges since the working site is small and I usually serve most of the customers outside or in some cases under tree shades. I have desired to construct a spacious working site for my business but this has never been easy for me due to financial instability and I am always worried that most of the potential customers may disappear. Once I heard the arrival of GiveDirectly to our village, the hope of upscaling my business got awakened and I am so happy to know that, soon I will have the opportunity to achieve my goals. To ensure this is accomplished, I plan to spend utmost $200 to construct the room and again an amount of $200 will add to my capital and this will mean a new dawn for my business, eventually more profit out of it. For the remaining amount, I will spend $500 to buy a piece of land to have a place of farming since, at the moment, I usually lease from my neighbor during planting seasons. With all this done, I am sure of living the life of my dream, hence, this is basically what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My work of selling take-away foodstuffs requires me to spend my entire day at my working site and this means waking up very early in the morning. Since rush hours are in the afternoon, I usually enjoy my job at this time because more customers could come for lunch. Therefore, I consider the afternoon as the happiest part of my day since we interact joyfully as I serve them.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Raising my children single-handedly after separating from my husband is something that has never been easy for me, and this forced me to seek refuge from my sister's house since I could not afford to rent or own a shelter. With the hard economic activities in our area and charcoal burning being the most dominant one, I opted to venture into it and luckily, I got a small capital to start my small business of selling take-away foodstuffs. I have ever wished to expand this business but it has always been impossible due to inadequate income, and therefore, I consider financial instability as the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.
