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 ($442 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?
My new goal is to purchase a water tank. When I received my first and second transfer, I used part of it to build a new house that is roofed of iron sheets. Right now I am in a position to collect clean drinking water but I do not have a water tank that would help me collect the water. It is for this reason that I look forward to buying a water tank but the amount of money that I get from casual jobs that I do may not be enough to do this. I am a mother of 8 children and my husband too is a casual labourer.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well by enrolling without any form of biasness. The fact that we were allowed to use the money on our own made people make decisions on what best they could do to reap maximum benefits.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used the entire transfer to build a new house. I made a decision to build a new house because I was living in a grass thatched house that was too small to host my now very big family of 8 children. I could not afford to have visitors but right now I feel much more comfortable to have and host visitors anytime. I also have access to clean drinking water.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($481 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home relaxing when my neighbour came in to inform us that she had received money from GiveDirectly. I could not believe what I was hearing, Thus, I grabbed my phone to confirm if what I was hearing was true. Upon checking, I saw a Mpesa text showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was so happy and positive that I would be able to accomplish the goal that I had set.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that at least I have a seat in my house. When the GiveDirectly staff came to my house, he had to sit on a bucket because I had no decent place where he could seat on. I am so happy because I was able to purchase a seat where my guest can seat on. On top of that, I can cut the cost of buying milk daily which was expensive for us. I am so grateful for the transfer that lifted our living standard to a higher level in society.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a casual worker and a mother of seven children, Upon receiving my transfer I bought a dairy cow worth KES 45,000, I had dreamed of owning one before, but I had no money due to financial constraints. With it, I am hopeful that I would be able to cut down on the cost of buying milk daily. I then bought a goat at KES 6000, then finally I used the remaining amount on buying a seat and clothes for my family. I was able to accomplish so much in a short time thus I am so grateful for the support that came when we list expected.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means increased food security for my family. I am undergoing a very difficult time providing food at the moment because we do not have anything in our land. We are forced to buy everything we eat and I depend on casual jobs to get an income. It is my wish to till this land and plant a variety of crops. This will help me to reduce on food expenditure. We are happy that over the recent months, rainfall has been consistent unlike the past 2 years when it was unpredictable. This has encouraged us to venture totally in farming by the time we receive the transfers.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My daughter was married in 2019 and since then they had not gotten a baby. They were already having family squabbels because of the same but last year September, she delivered a baby girl and this gave me a lot of happiness. I even offered to babysit for her for one week to show my excitement.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenge that I have at the moment is providing food variety to my children. They are not healthy because even from the look you can see something is not right in their body posture. I am not happy at all about their situation and I wish to change this. I have a challenge of securing casual jobs also. This is what I solely depend on to feed my family and sometimes we have to sleep hungry when I fail to find any.
