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.
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
50000 KES ($490 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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The recipient was not asked any questions as part of this follow up.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
37152 KES ($360 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Currently, my life is different from how it was in that, I am now a certified driver. Through the funds I got from Give Directly, I was able to pay for a short course in driving and finally finished it. I can now apply for driving jobs in big companies. Apart from that, I have also been able to offset most of the bills that I had including school fees for my child.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
I do not have a new goal at the moment. My plan is to start my retails shop business and stabilize it. I want to focus on establishing this project first because I believe it will be the end of looking for casual jobs. Casual jobs are usually very unreliable and families who rely on it as the main source of income suffer a lot. I am tired of this hustle and I can't wait to be independent and self-employed.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have been doing casual jobs in the construction sites. The struggle was real because, at times, I could go without getting a contract in a day. I had been thinking of how to end this joblessness. When I got the money from GiveDirectly, I decided to start a business. A retail shop. I have already bought enough stock and currently hunting for a business premise. I think doing this business will be better than casual jobs that I used to do. I am optimistic that it will be successful because it will allow me to take care of my needs easily. Apart from that, I also cleared school fees for my child and kept the remaining amount as savings.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($194 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to look for a driving job and to start a business that my wife will run. She is a casual worker. She majorly does laundry work in the nearby neighborhood which has disadvantages like doing the work for long hours and sometimes not being paid. When I finally get my dream jobs I sure of taking care of my needs easily.
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 am now hopeful in life. I have managed to do my dream course. I paid for a driving course that I am happily doing. I am now hopeful of getting my dream job of being a driver to a manager somewhere in one of the biggest companies in the city.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a large portion of my transfer to pay for a driving course. In my life, I had yearned so much to be a driver but my parents were unable to pay for the course. I am sure of getting a job as soon as I acquire the driving skills. I have a lot of friends who are drivers and from the stories and experience from the work as drivers, it is still my dream job because of the good working conditions and remuneration. This will enable me to easily take care of my family needs. I finally reduced school fees arrears for my child. I now have hopes of finishing the arrears very soon.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
I was overjoyed the moment I received the transfer. I had never received such a lumpsum amount of money in my life. I normally get 500 Kes at most when I do the odd jobs which is what I have been used to for a very long time. That amount was a lot. My wife was the one who broke the good news to me since she is the one who had the phone when the money was sent. We were so happy. I remember going back to sleep late because we started talking about how we would use the money until midnight.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My first priority is to cater to my childrens' school fees. They are both in primary school, one here in Nairobi and the other in the village he lives with my mother. My wife left me four years ago and went to Katar and has never come back. She left me with the children and I have been taking care of them ever since, my mother has been of great help since she has raising my youngest sin. I am a casual worker and I make three thousand shillings from the jobs I get which are not always consistent. All I want is for them to go through school without any hickups and to have all that they need in life.
Secondly, I would want to go to driving school and acquire my drivers license. I have always wanted to be a driver. A lot of opportunities come about here in Mathare as Members of parliament at times pick youths who have driving license to work in companies. I want to empower myself to appoint where incase my wife comes back she finds that I am well established and successful.
Lastly, I want to start a business.
I want to start selling sardaines but the less bitter sardines. I will buy them from Kisumu and sell them here in Mathare. People look down upon such businesses but I know how profitable it is and with this I can even quit the construction work and work full time.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is unemployment, I am a casual worker, I deal with construction and this line of work is not very reliable. In a month I can work for a week and the rest of the weeks I have to survive on the little income I made the previous week. I work so hard, I wake up very early and I leave work very late most days, when I reach my house I am so tired and I do not get to spend time with my daughter as I would want. To make it worse the pay I get is not much to cater to all our needs.I am afraid that when I lack money, it can tempt me to want to steal just to ensure I have food on my table, but this I have never done and will never do.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to be a successful business man, I want to venture into the Sardine business and if possible open different branches in different markets here in Nairobi. I once tried to start this business but after awhile I chose to do construction, but for the few months it was very profitable only that the cost of bringing the sardines from Kisumu was too high. I will be able to support my children and ensure that they do not lack anything in life, to be both a father and a mother to them. Hopefully when I become successful, pride will not get the best of me. I would not want to forget my roots.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
On my usual day, I wake up early in the morning at around 5.00 am and I go to work, I am a casual labourer, mostly dealing with construction. I get jobs in different locations, this requires me to wake up very early not to be late and miss out on the job. Before I leave for work I make sure I have prepared my daughters school uniform and I leave them with a neighbor who will prepare her and take her to school together with her children. In the evening I come back home cook supper for the two of us and retire to bed after a very hetcic and tiresome day.
In my free time, I relax at home, at times hang out with friends but I try to avoid staying in groups due the constant police partols in our area, youths tend to get arrest easily because of sitting in groups.
