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 ($443 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My next plan is for me to be able to initiate a boutique business. I am planning to use the profit and the savings from my current business. I specialize in selling household items at the moment thus I am eager to venture into a different kind of business. I am so happy and grateful for the financial empowerment.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has empowered us equally. We were all given the unconditional transfer just the way they had previously described. So far throughout my interaction with the staff, I did not encounter any inefficiencies.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Receiving money from GiveDirectly gave me financial freedom. This is because I was able to start up a business selling household items. This has been my dream for a long time but I was unable to realise it due to financial constraints. Therefore, I used the entire KES 55,000 as capital. My husband and I are business people, together we are blessed with three children. I am happy and contented that I was able to realise this goal in a short period thus I am grateful.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was very happy when I first received a notification message from GiveDirectly at around 7:20 am. I wasn't expecting it to bear such great news and initially, I thought it was a call since my children who had the phone then, could not differentiate the message tone from the ringing tone whenever a call comes in. Checking it up brought a lot of excitement and had to be grateful to God and GiveDirectly for the promise that had just came to pass. I visited the nearby shopping center later that evening where I collected all 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 the new lucrative venture into poultry farming. I am grateful that I now have a reliable source of income, and even though it is still at the initial stages, I am hopeful that it will soon pick up and be as productive as I expect. Earning from the small sale of eggs has been fulfilling in that I have been able to provide for my family of five.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Behind the excitement that we had with my family of five after receiving the first transfer was a great investment idea that my husband and I had settled on. All along, we had been dependent on subsistence farming that we would only sell the surplus in good seasons to earn some income. I was glad to receive the first transfer that came in handy for the poultry project that has been topping our to-do list. I spent KES 22000 on purchasing the construction materials among them; rolls of chain links, nails, and also construction poles that were useful in the renovation of a preexisting chicken coop. After the complete construction, I brought in three-month-old chicks worth KES 15000, later added mature layers worth KES 7000, and in addition, I also bought nine indigenous hens at KES 3150. At the moment, I am glad and could not be any happier raising a total of 73 birds and being able to collect and sell eggs from the mature birds that are already laying. I have been using the small remaining amount to obtain feeds and the required medications that are required as they grow.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a mother of three engaging in subsistence farming as my livelihood. I currently practice crop farming only since I have not been able to buy any livestock. Though my husband is a businessman, we focused on our children's education and daily household needs thus we could not have some income to expand our farming. Receiving this money means expansion of my farming. I am planning to use KES 56000 to buy two incalved-heifers. These are added assets in my family and shortly afterward I will have milk production from my farm. I will enough for my family consumption and cut the cost of daily expenditures. I will be selling the calves to support my husband's business and meet other family needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I got married seven years ago after dropping out of school. Though marriage life has not been easy, I thank God for having seen us through. As a mother, my happiness is having a peaceful and healthy family. To me, this is what I have seen in the last six months. This has been the greatest joy in my daily life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
For a living, clean water is an essential need. We receive low rainfall in our area thus long droughts are our major challenge. We rely on water pans to keep us during this droughts. On my farm, I have not been able to dig one. I rely on my neighbours pans to get water for domestic use. To me the challenge I am currently is getting access to clean water.
