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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($441 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?
I do not have any new goals apart from the ones that I have earlier. Being the sole breadwinner of our family of 6 members, I have used the transfer in achieving in goals that I had. Currently, I am happy that we reside in a nice shelter and the kids are learning without any interference due to school fees
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Givedirectly did well in sending cash directly to the poor households in society. This reduce the cases of fraud since the organization had the right to decide who qualified for the program without discrimination. In my opinion, there is nothing that it did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 10,000 to support the education of my 3 children who are still schooling. The oldest is form 4 and the others are still in primary. The transfer come at a time when I needed it most since my kids had been sent for one week ago for fees when I received it. Moreover, I used KES 10,000 to purchase proper bedding for the family since we were sleeping using rags that were not comfortable. Most of the time I felt embarrassed about our situation whenever I received a visitor. I had to seek shelter from the neighbors or opted to sleep using the old rags. In addition, I bought proper clothes for every member of the family since we had few and my 3 daughters we ashamed of wearing torn clothes a thing that lowered their confidence.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($479 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was on my daily hustle looking to put food on the table at the end of the day when I received the transfer message. I was so happy because evening was approaching and I had not gotten a job and I was worried my family would sleep hungry. I withdrew part of the transfers and bought food enough to take us through the month.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that we have a house that we feel secure sleeping inside and we have more comfortable nights sleeping on a mattress compared to days when we used to sleep on old clothes.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We had been living in a very weak muddy house and we feared that someday it might be carried away by wind or crumble while sleeping at night. We were not in a position to build another one since my husband who the breadwinner of the family sells building poles and the little that he gets is only enough to cater for basic needs. Receiving this money meant a lot to us because we spend 40000 KES of the recent transfers to build a local two bedroom house. I spend the balance to buy mattresses for my family to replace the old clothes that we were using as bedding. If it were not for the transfers, all this would have not been possible and I don't take it for granted. I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Getting this transfer will help us to educate and teenagers who are in secondary and one is almost finishing class 6. Most of the times they go to school without food for days and even come back crying because they have been chased so now I have a chance to buy enough stock of food like bundles of maize, beans, greengrams which can last us for the rest of the months while starting small business and it has my dream to buy 10 goats where I will be selling during market day.
Currently I have small business where I sell firewood, and I plan to also start a small kiosk to sell tomatoes and fish, because I see it as a need people travel long distances to the shopping center which is 2 km away to buy such commodities, so by this I will be doubling by transfer and it will sustain my family for a longer time.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My husband bought me some khanga pieces which I had yearned for and had begged him to buy, I think I have taken care of him very well in all our years in marriage; and that was one way of him rewarding me.
I look forward to better days ahead.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We have passed through a tough period of drought and as a polygamous family with total of 4 children, our husband cannot provide basic needs for everyone in the family and sometimes we have to sleep hungry for 2 days and if I do odd jobs like casual labour in the farms I get a little to support kids though not sufficient enough to push us for longer days.
It has been tough getting clean water around and sometimes we have to travel longer periods to get pond water which is no fit for human consumption so our kids get sick time to time, and taking care of them is very expensive.
