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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($490 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Were it not for GiveDirectly, I believe my health would now be worse. This is because I couldn't afford to pay for my medical bills. Since I started receiving transfers, I have been able to go for check up as required and that I am doing better. Now I got some savings which would take me for some few months. I am glad that now I can afford to smile and enjoy good health.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
To me, GiveDirectly is heaven sent as they the came with an intention of changing lives. They have us same disbursement which was so fair to all.
I didn't notice anything which wasn't done well, their process of enrollment was so good and nothing was questionable.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For quite sometime, I have been unwell and I usually go for check up regularly. I got a spinal injury and this has paralyzed my lower limbs. The transfers which I received, I withdrew the whole amount and first gave out tithe of KES 5500. As a Christian, I believe that a hand which gives shall be blessed and never lack. The remaining amount, I saved it so that I would spend on renovating my kitchen and the rest on my medication. I hope that having such savings would be better as I wouldn't depend on others to support me.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($501 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was so happy with my family when I received the Mpesa message saying I had received the money, I could not believe my eyes and I cannot describe the amount of happiness that I felt. I felt a ray of hope in me because I had lost all hope of ever getting such kind of money. I thanked God for answering my prayers and I was happy because I was going to finish up building my house.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I no longer have worries about where I would get money, I had lost all hope that I would ever get such kind of money and I just used to pray to God to open a way for me. Most of the money that I had, I had used on my medication because I usually have health problems. This made the project of building the house to be stuck. This money will enable me to finish building the house and hence my family will no longer be feeling the cold and they will have a nice house to stay in. I plan to use the rest of the money to buy my medications.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
This money from GiveDirectly is going to help me a lot. I gave out ten percent of the money to the church as my tithe and as a way of saying thank you to God because I did not know that I would ever receive such kind of money. I am planning to finish building a house that I had started to build but due to lack of finances, I had put aside the plan. The rest of the money, I plan to use in my medication because I usually have health issues. This health issue was what had made me not to continue building the house because most of the money I had, I had spent on medication.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will mean so much to me. I have a plan to construct a better house that befits an old woman like myself. The house that I currently live in is made of timber with gaps on the walls thus making it extremely cold at night. This is against the doctor's advice that I sleep in a warm place. If I get lucky enough to be enrolled in the GiveDirectly program, I will renovate my current house to make it warm enough for someone like myself. Filling the gaps on the walls and also having the ceiling boards fixed will cost me about 30000 shillings.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am always happy in the evening because it is the time I take some rest. I do not strain to move from one point to the next hence no pain. This is also the time I listen to a lot of worship songs that bring so much peace in my soul that no matter the amount of suffering now, there is always hope of a better tomorrow.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have not been feeling well for close to 20 years now. At the moment, I can not walk without the help of a walking stick and to make it even worse I am always by myself. I have been on and off various hospitals all this while and the exercise has costed me over 100000 shillings. I am not feeling any better and I am due for an operation but I have not raised the required amount of 550000 shillings. All that is left to do is to pray that God opens a way for me because they more I buy time the more the situation gets out of hand.
