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 ($486 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
What I am glad about is that I used the transfers to seek medical attention where I underwent a major operation. The doctors said I had a medical problem with my pancreas, which was eventually removed. I am happy that the operation was successful and I now have the chance of living a better life.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
Due to the medical operation, I underwent in the hospital, I cannot do heavy-duty tasks to date. Currently, I can only manage to bake two packets of baking flour which I use to make the dough and sell to my clients.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used the last transfers to open a shop which I operated for three months. Unfortunately, there was a fire inferno which razed down a huge number of houses and business premises, mine included. Ever since that unfortunate event took place, I have never been able to recover to date and that is how my business went down completely with no chances of reviving back the business to life. I am now left stranded without knowing what to do because all the money I had gone down with the fire and the other transfers took care of my hospital bills.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
36800 KES ($368 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
attach_money
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am much healthier at the moment and can work to earn my own money. The transfers came in when I was really sick I had been diagnosed with inflammation in the pancreas. I had spent most of the money that I had on my medication. I was in great debt and the transfers came in handy and sorted me out. I am now healthier and grateful to GiveDirectly.I also spent the transfers to start a business dealing with household goods and food items. The business is doing very well. It meets my family's needs and has also enabled me to pay for my medication as I still go to the hospital for check-ups.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
Opening a business is a goal that was inspired by tranfers. Earlier on. Before the transfers came in I never thought I could ever get money to start my own business and get money of my own.I have opened a shop dealing in household goods and food items and I hope it will pick well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 36800 of the transfers on starting a business dealing with household goods and food items. The whole transfer went towards expenses around renting space, stocking my shop and getting a license to do the business.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($195 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
attach_money
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
After the surgery, I was adviced not to engage in any heavy duties which prevents me from going back to my previous domestic job after I am fully recovered. For this reason, I will use part of my next transfers to start a grocery business because this kind of business does not require much movements and is not strenuous. I will use the remaining amount to pay for my children's school fees.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before I received money from GD, I was constantly living with worry about how I would raise the money to repay the loans I had borrowed during my treatment. The stress hindered my recovery as I was not able to sleep or feed well. Ever since I received the money and paid most of the debt, I have had no stress at all and I am recovering quite well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Just a few months before I received the money, I had undergone a surgery which cost a lot of money that I was not able to raise on my own. This forced me to take loans from different individuals to pay the hospital bills and buy the medication. The money I received was entirely used to repay the loans.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
Because I had to quit my job due to my condition, I was not able to raise the money to repay the loans I took during my treatment. The moment I received the money, I was so happy because I knew I would be able to repay most of the loans. When morning came, I gathered all my family members to help me thank God for all the miracles has shown me this year including bringing GD into my life.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I will spend the first bit of my transfers to pay some loans that I took. I have been unwell for a while and I underwent surgery in June this year, 2018, due to complications in my Pancreas. I incurred some debts because if my illness, and I feel I should pay the debts first. Secondly, I will pay school fees for my child and a niece who I recently adopted. They have some school fees arrears which I will clear with the transfers. Finally, I will support my spouse in building our children a house back in our rural home.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is crime, and especially robbery because first of all robbery can shorten one's life, apart from the inconvenience and loss of losing important property, that victims face. I have been robbed before as I was heading to work. I got attacked by some young men who robbed me of everything I had including the transport money I had on me. It was a terrifying and traumatising experience. My second concern is Family, in terms of an unstable family or unsettlement in a family. I am concerned about unsettlement in a Family because it can cause a lack of respect or dignity. My third concern is unemployment because it leads to poverty and misery.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to own a large wholesale shop in my rural county back home in Kakamega County. I will be happy to settle there with my family in a home that my wholesale shop will have generated.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
My usual day begins at 9:00am in the morning when I wake up. I then freshen up and take break fast before taking my medication, and going back to rest again until about 12:00pm. I get up again and prepare lunch for my children who usually come home for lunch from school. I then bask out in the sun, or I just rest in the house as I wait for my children to come home from school in the evening. Once they come home in the evening, I assist them with homework and help them freshen up as I prepare for them supper. In my free time, I enjoy watching gospel songs on television and spending time with my children.
