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.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($450 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?
All my life I have been a farmer, it's the only job I do well. I would like to add more livestock to my current one, add the chicken so that I generate more income and save more for rainy days.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
We are happy when GiveDirectly visits us for follow-up. I am also happy because the transfer comes directly to us and it does not pass through leaders such as chiefs and subchiefs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a small-scale farmer, I depend on livestock for a living but currently, with the drought, all my livestock died due to dehydration. This devastated me. After that, I could no longer afford food for my family. My children are in the city doing casual jobs and from time to time they send money for our upkeep which is not always enough. I stay with my wife alone. Receiving this money has enabled me to get back to farming, bought fifteen goats at $450, and bought food for $100.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Since I do not know how to read and also not conversant with mobile phone issues, I did not know that I had received the transfer till I heard people talking about it. I consulted someone I trusted to check for me and they confirmed that I received the money the previous day. I was so happy to an extent that if I were a woman I could have ululated.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The school fee for my children is a vivid difference that I can testify anywhere. If I had no money to buy seeds where would I have got the KES 20000.00 and paid for my children? I am thankful to the organization for the support it gave me. Apart from the fee, I was also able to buy some seeds after having the conviction that it would rain soon. As we speak, it rained and I used the seeds I bought using the GiveDirectly money. If it were not for this money I wouldn’t have planted.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I have some children who are in secondary school, I took KES 20000.00 and paid for them so that they continue with their learning smoothly. Thereafter I bought 7 goats for KES 28000.00. The aim was to invest in the goats business knowing that they will increase in number in no time thus brings some income to the family. I also bought some seeds after having a conviction that it would rain soon.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means better health care for my wife. Currently, my wife has a brain issue she talks alone and laughs every time. Sometimes she says people are after her and she ends up running to the forest. Getting this money will help me take her to the hospital for medication. With the remaining amount, I will pay school fees for my two kids which are in secondary school, and also buy some goats as future investments.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Our county government brought relief food to our area to curb the prolonged drought. We got 25 kilograms of beans and 10 kilograms of maize. I am now able to eat two meals a day which is a dream come true in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Getting cash is always a problem in my home town. At my age I am unable to cut trees and burn charcoal. I harvest alove vera and sell it at KES 500 per one kilogram. This money cannot sustain my family and also pay school fees for my kids.
