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 ($422 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 am a housewife who just stays at home and takes care of my family and home. I am currently in a merry go round and I believe when I save enough, I will go and take the money and start my own business of selling clothes. I used to sell second hand clothes before but the business collapsed because I did not have enough funds to stock for more goods. I am a mother of four children I would really want to work hard to give my children a better live.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The fact that GiveDirectly gives money for free and ask nothing in return has really stood out for me and to be honest I have seen no negative thing that GiveDirectly does.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I made the decision not to spend my first transfer as soon as I got it; instead, I would wait for my second transfer and add more money to it so I could buy my own land. We now have a large piece of land, but it belongs to my family, so no one can claim it as their own. I summed up all of my first transfer and subtracted $350 from my second transfer to buy the land. I spent $140 to buy a cow because I sold the one I had in 2012 and it had no calves. The remaining $40 I spent on purchasing cutlery and other equipment.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($460 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Before, I used to pray to God to uplift me from where I was to a better level. we had sold all the livestock which we had when I was hospitalized and we were left with none. For a very long time, we were buying milk for use at home. When I got my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I felt so happy as I knew that the plans I had would come true.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We do depend on wages from casual jobs so that we can meet our daily needs. We couldn't afford to buy livestock since the wages are menial. After buying two heifers, I saw that was the biggest step that we made as a family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
First, I spent KES 44000 on buying two heifers for rearing. I saw that it would be good to have these two heifers so that when they mature, they would reproduce and gives us milk for use at home and sale. I then spent KES 7000 on buying a sack of maize for consumption and the remaining amount of KES 4000, I spent on buying some clothes for my children.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
In the year 2012, I had a cesarean delivery and this forced me to sell the only cow that I had then to get money for the hospital bill. Since that time I have tried to buy another cow but the income I get from my casual jobs is not sufficient. I work in people's farms doing weeding to earn a living and the much that I am paid on a single day is KES 250. I use this money to buy food for my 4children leaving me with no savings. I desire to buy a cow that would produce at least five liters of milk every day. I will leave 2-liters for household consumption and sell the rest at a nearby market for KES 50 per liter. This will be an easy way of earning money and it will be the end of me going for casual jobs. Receiving this money will give me a break from doing energy draining jobs
What is the happiest part of your day?
Other than being a casual laborer, I also practice small-scale farming on my 0.3-acre piece of land. In February this year, I managed to harvest 4-sacks of maize from the same portion which I was able to sell for KES 3000 per sack. This made me happy because I have never received such an amount at once.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability is the main challenge that I face at the moment. I am a casual laborer who works in people's farms to earn a living. These jobs come with a fair share of challenges, one being delayed payments from farm owners. Sometimes it takes 1 month to get paid and this has always subjected my family to a lot of suffering. I have had to go without lunch so that my children can have enough because there is no money to buy food that is enough for all of us.
