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 ($421 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I used to do a business dealing in cereals but due to my husband's health, it suffered a major blow because we used all the money including the capital that I was using to run the business. I intend to go back to doing business because it used to assist me a lot to fend for my children. Life was better, I could afford to pay school fees and buy food for my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is a unique NGO, unlike others. The aspect of unconditionality and the transfers being a grant is so amazing and humbling. I have never seen something like that before in my life. The organization does well in transferring funds in two tranches and following it up to ensure that people receive the money. They actually want to transform lives and they have made significant progress.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a widow, my husband passed just before we received the transfers. We depleted almost all the resources we had for his treatment. Eventually, he succumbed to the diseases and left us as paupers. We sold all the cows we had and so when I receive the transfers from GiveDirectly it came as a huge reliever of the burden I was going through. In order to reconstruct my life and that of my family I decided to purchase a dairy cow worth KES 40000. The cow recently calved and we are getting enough milk for our consumption, it has assisted us a lot and I am so excited about the help.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I definitely felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. It was very early in the morning that day and we had just woken up when I saw a message from GiveDirectly and shared the good news with my family. We were all very happy that we were finally going to accomplish the things that we had planned.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving payments from GiveDirectly is the house that I was able to build with the money. I honestly did not think that I would be able to raise the money needed to build a decent house especially after my husband passed on last year.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used KES 7000 to buy two goats as an addition to our flock and the remaining amount was used to buy building materials and help put up a building structure for our family. I also got some money remaining which I used to buy seeds for planting as well as prepared my farm. The house that we were living in was very small and we did not have enough money from the sources of income that we had that would enable us put up a decent structure. I am so grateful that GiveDirectly came to give me a helping hand especially during my old age and having had my husband pass on leaving me to depend entirely on self. I have a son who would have helped me out but he has his own family to take care of as well
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a better life for me and my grandchildren. Currently I am doing a business of selling firewood and milk within the village. I started this 4 months ago after loosing my husband who was a bread winner in the family. From this business I earn an average of KES1500 in a week. My age currently cannot allow me to walk a long distance in order to meet my customers at their household level. I had an ambition of buying a new motorcycle and hire someone to assist me in supplying. I am happy that this transfers from Givedirectly has come in handy to my ambition. My plans therefore is to purchase a new motorcycle at a cost of KES 100,000.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I started this business five months ago and it has sustained me since then. Am happy that at my age I can still have the ability to earn an income hence afford to buy food for my family. With me I have three grandchildren who I pay school fees for. This motivates me to expand my business whilst continue supporting my other family members and meet other household needs.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge that I currently face is meeting my customers' needs.The demand for firewood and milk is quite high but because of my age I cannot supply the required amount to the targeted market. Therefore my profitable business can fail if it does not generate adequate cash flow to meet the expenses. However I intend to purchase a mortobike to aid in transportation as this will also increase my profits.
