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 ($466 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After getting the second transfer, I developed another goal which I am working up and down to see it coming to fulfillment. This is an educational goal; I have my children who are currently in class eight and come next academic year they will be required to join secondary school. I am working tirelessly to see them getting proper education. So if I get money, this is the main goal that I am working on.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
This organization helped me so much. Initially my life was undefined, I did not have a clear direction of where I was coming from neither where I was going due to poverty. I am very thankful to GiveDirectly for the aid I received to an extent of renovating my house and also taking my children to school. For sure this organization is unmatched to any other organization.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Although we were passing a hunger period due to the drought that affected us, upon withdrawing the money the first thing I did was to renovate my house which cost KES 16000.00. This is because the house was in a bad state and I feared it may collapse during the rainy season. Thereafter, I paid school fees of KES 5000.00 plus all the arrears for my children because they were ever sent home for fees. Since the season we were in was a hardship season as I have already stated, I reserved the rest of the money for family upkeep.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($490 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I can vividly recall the exact time due to how happy I was after receiving the transfer message from GiveDirectly. It was at 9.03am while giving some porridge to my young children when I received a message in my phone. I felt so happy since I knew the money had resolved so many life issues that were eating me inwardly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having something for my children to eat on daily basis is a big difference in my life. Initially, my children were seeing meals at most twice a day for the young once but mostly it was one meal per day and that one meal wasn’t a guarantee that they will be satisfied. Currently, I am very grateful for the support I received from GiveDirectly and we are living happily as a family. We have peace and my mind is very settled and relaxed.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My only source of income was making and selling charcoal. When I received the money I got a big relief from several burdens that the transfer took care of. The first thing I considered was school fees for my children who had been sent out of school. I took KES 3000.00 and paid the fee balance so that they could also proceed with their studies. I also bought some food for the family because our area has been affected by an adverse climatic condition and people are starving of hunger. I bought a good stock for the family.
Thereafter, I decided to construct a new house because the one I had was very small and couldn’t accommodate us all, bearing in mind that I have 7 children. I bought 20 pieces of iron sheets for KES 17000.00, rafters and poles for KES 10000.00. I also bought a mattress for KES 4000.00 because I wasn’t sleeping comfortable since the mat I was using was worn-out.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means restoring the dignity that I have lost for a long. This is because I have been sharing a small house with my family of 10 which has not given me privacy. I am planning to spend my entire first transfer to construct a two-bedroom room house that will be spacious enough for my household. With my second transfer, I intend to spend KES 30000 to buy 10 goats that will act as my investment project to support my children's education in the future, since 2 of them are in class eight. I am also planning to spend KES 15000 of my second transfer to buy a new bed and mattress to replace the old ones that do not give me a nice sleep, and hence this will guarantee me a better livelihood. The remaining amount will cater to household expenses like food.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is because it is the time when my children are from school and I enjoy their company around me. It is also at this when I get enough time to relax from my busy day of charcoal work.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. This is because I am doing casual jobs in charcoal vending that earns me a little of KES 600 per week. Due to this, I have been struggling to provide for my family and sometimes I fail even to put food on the table.
