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?
Give directly has helped me in starting some livestock farming which is now my source of income. Therefore, in my opinion, it has done well and there's no area that they have done badly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being unemployed has been hard, especially when it comes to meeting the family's bills. I have four children and one of whom is in school. My husband is the sole provider for the family and has been struggling with getting casual jobs to do. So, when I received the funds, I focused on starting some livestock farming. With the first transfer, I bought four chickens at KES1,200. As for my second transfer, I bought a goat at KES2,000, and the remaining KES1,000, I spent on food purchases.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was cutting down trees, as part of my usual routine, to manufacture some charcoal when I got the message confirming the receipt of the funds. I dropped all that I was doing and headed to the house to share the great news with my husband. Jointly, we agreed to buy chickens in place of a goat since the money was not enough.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I have not seen much difference in my life yet because this was my first transfer. Even so, I can at least confirm that the number of poultry I have has increased by 3 and I now have the motivation to organize my life and that of my family's. Since I am assured of a monthly cash transfer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I manufacture charcoal for a living. In I week I would only sell 1 sac which goes for KES400. With one child in school and 3 yet to join, the amount of money I make is not enough to meet all their needs. So, I also practice livestock farming to boost my finances. Therefore, when I got this first this transfer of 1,200 shillings from give directly, I bought three chickens since the amount was not enough to purchase a goat, which was my initial plan.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have a two-room house but I only managed to roof one of them with grass. The other room which serves as the kitchen is not roofed and therefore, I can't manage to cook from there when it rains because it usually floods and the water overflows to the other room. During this rainy season, I have started cooking from the other room and since it has beddings and clothes, I am afraid that one day it might catch fire and burn us all inside. I planned to buy iron sheets to roof the whole house but raising enough capital has been the biggest challenge. Receiving this money means that I will buy the roofing materials in bits until they are enough to roof the entire house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
What makes me happy nowadays is to see my family healthy and kicking despite the hard times we have been through.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Poverty is the mother of all the challenges that I'm facing. I'm a housewife who is married to a casual laborer. My husband earns as little as ksh1000 a month. This cannot afford us basic needs and pay school fees for our kids. My six years old has never stepped into a school and I had no hopes of taking him to school until I was enrolled in this program.
