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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Everyone in my village, myself included, has really praised give directly for the awesome work that it has done. Our lives have been improved and most people can now send their children to school. So, in my opinion, give directly has done well and there's no area that I have seen give directly hasn't done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It is in my plans that I build a house for my family. so, from the transfers that have been receiving I have been saving half of it towards the project. So far, I am at KES3,000 against my main target of KES25,000. To support us, my husband, who works as a wine brewer, mainly focuses on the children's needs. Therefore, whatever earnings he gets, he uses it on food and school fees payment. Using the remaining KES1500 from the first transfer, I also bought two chickens that cost me KES1,000 and KES500. I used it to purchase food for my family. As for the remaining KES1500 on my second transfer, I covered the food budget.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I saw the text message on my phone at around 11. Since I cannot read, I waited for my son who later read the contents of the message. He informed me I had received my transfer. I was thrilled and filled with a lot of joy in my heart. I immediately called my husband and shared the good news. Later that evening, we sat together and planned how best we could use the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The difference the money has made in my life is very huge. The money will be helpful in repairing the house. This will be good as my children will sleep comfortably in the house and avoid unwanted illnesses emanating from the cold weather during the night.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband is the only breadwinner in my family. We have seven children. Out of the seven children, six of them have enrolled in school. My husband’s work is selling local brew (palm wine) in the village. A bottle of the local brew goes for KSH 20. Daily sales from the sell of the palm wine amounts to KSH 300. The money is not enough to cater to our family's needs. The drought has also contributed to the decrease in the amount of palm wine from the coconut tree. Currently, our house is in a terrible state. The rains we received at the end of the year damaged a section of the house, ripping apart a wall off. During the night, the cold weather is affecting my children and is now becoming sickly. We covered the house with a make shift polythene paper but the situation has not improved. When I received the funds, I saved KSH 1500 so that I can use it to repair my house once I have accumulated enough money to complete the repairs. I also spent KSH 1000 to buy two chickens. The main reason for buying the chicken is to rear them and sell them later, giving me some generous amount of profit. In addition, I decide to buy some food with the remaining KSH 500 to add to the little stock remaining in the house. My husband had sold none of the palm wine the previous day, and buying the food was the best option to avoid running out.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I would like to start a business selling vegetables, cooking flour and other essentials. I believe this is the best way to keep my money and also to multiply it so that the profit can go into some other projects that are not income generating like repairing my house. These items that I intend to offer are the most selling in the village because everybody else uses them. Some of the proceeds will also go into educating my children who are still at primary level for now.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I'm most happy whenever I manage to buy enough food to offer my family a balance diet. This normally happen when my husband gets another job to supplement his daily income of 200KES. Though he hasn't been able to do this so frequently because of the current hard times that has rendered most people broke, whenever he does we all enjoy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Inadequacy of food supply has greatly affected my progress to the extent that I can not have other projects running. Since the onset of this current draught, it's gotten really hard to feed my family of nine considering that we're only depending on my husband's daily income from the sales of local brew which is 200KES. This amount is hardly enough for all our daily needs.