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 ($469 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?
I am planning to build a house for my sons who are now grown up and need to live in their own houses.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well to give money directly to individuals in order for each to make their spending decisions.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend most of my transfer on payment of school fees for my kids in high school. I also spent the rest on a heifer and this will act as a long term investment. Initially, I used to rely on my cereals business because I normally rely on my cereals business in order to pay school fees but GiveDirectly transfers came in handy this time around.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer I felt so happy. I remember it was around 9am. I was still taking my breakfast, when I heard a message tone from my phone. When I checked it out I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I have never received such amount of money before. My family members felt so happy too. I knew I would be able to build a better house. I am so happy for the support.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have build a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small grass thatched house which could not host all my family members comfortably. I had always wished to build a better house but I didn't had the money. I depend on casual jobs and small scale farming. The amount of money that I get through this is so small and I was not able to save. whenever I had visitors there was no privacy and space to host them. This was so demoralizing and stressful. When I received the transfer I felt so happy because I knew I would be able to buy the building materials and build a better house. Currently I have a decent house and whenever i have visitors and family friends I no longer stress up on where to host them. This had given me morale and boosted my confidence. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed my living standard. It's much better than before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money I received from GiveDirectly to build a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small grass thatched house which could not host all my family members comfortably. I also purchased a heifer. I always buy milk daily and this is so costly for me. When it reproduce in the next few months I will get enough milk for the family. The rest of the money I bought food and clothes. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money to me means my children will continue going to school. My Son joined form one this year and I was not able to provide all that he needed when he went to school in August,2021 due to financial constraints.I am the sole provider in my family and I do casual jobs to earn a living which is not enough to cater for all the family basic needs such as food,shelter,clothing and education.I plan on paying a year school fees of Ksh 30,000 and other 20,000 on school levies,books and uniform for my son in secondary and other children in primary school. Owning a 4 roomed house too is my ambition and I will spend ksh 40,000 to buy 40 pieces of iron sheets,building materials and labour cost.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I am done with the day's work,this is when I spend time taking dinner with my family. I usually wake up in the morning to go and do casual work at a neighbours farm from 9.00 a.m to 4 p.m i come back home always feeling tired and rest is what i long for.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is financial constraints. I am a casual laborer and I earn Ksh 3500 per week,my wife supports our income with money she gets from the maize farming. Sometimes, we do not harvest anything at all because of the bad weather conditions in our area. This makes it difficult for us to cater for all the needs for our 5 children such as food,clothing and education.
