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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
There have been droughts in my area and water has been scarce. So, when I got my transfer, I used it to buy water and food. my husband, who works as a tuk-tuk operator, has not been making much due to the hiked fuel prices and the Ramadan celebrations. Most people are opting to stay indoors. This has resulted in reductions in the number of customers and thus fewer earnings. I, on the other hand, had to close my street food vending business due to the high cost of living which made me incur losses. For this reason, we could not afford to buy food live alone buying water which now goes for 120 liters at KES 300.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Give directly has done well in everything. This financial support will uplift me financially. I will not only buy food for my family but also, I will be financially independent.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a shop keeper, where I sell sugar and tea. In a day I only make ksh100. This has been helpful in meeting my family's needs but it has not been enough. When I got my first transfer of ksh1200, I invested it all in my business. This improved it greatly and my daily earnings increased to ksh200. Since my husband and I are currently doing some house renovations, I contributed ksh1500 from my second transfer to purchase some roofing materials. As for the remaining ksh1500, I used it on food. Ksh500 was specifically for the Christmas celebrations.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had just left to fetch water as any other normal day but when I came back, one of my siblings came running telling me that I had received the money. I took the phone from him so that I could look at it myself. I was so happy when I saw that It was true. I am grateful that this program is real and that my life will never be the same again.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that now my family has financial security in that whatever we may face there is a small income coming every month. I also know with my husband we shall come up with ways to not only better our lives but grow financially.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When this money came on when I least expected it, I took it upon myself to put the money back into the business as I knew if I kept it with me, I would miss using it. I took KES.500 to buy sugar, KES.200 for Silver cyprinid which is locally known as omena, and finally KES.100 on the soap. This would be used as stock for the business. I also used KES.150 on a chick for home rearing. This all would not have been possible without Give Directly.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money from GiveDirectly means I will be able to revive my kiosk business and upgrade it to a modern retail shop. I am planning to construct a retail shop at a cost of 200 Dollars. A bigger structure will provide a great platform for growth because I will be able to buy large stock translating making handsome profits. I will sell a wide variety of commodities such as wheat flour, maize flour, sugar, kerosene among others. I will also use the transfer to start chicken rearing business. I'm planning to start with 50 chicken; there is a ready market for chicken in my village meaning I will be able to sell more at a profit. This will boost my family's income thus improvement of our standard of living.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Early this year, we had a lot of food in the store because the climate was favourable then and we managed to harvest a lot of produce. I was to choose on what I wanted to eat because of the varieties ranging from potatoes, maize, peas, beans among other food stuffs. This brought happiness in my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
With the current drought in my area, getting water has been very difficult. Sometimes I am forced to travel longer distances to get water. This has had some negative implications on my health and productivity in the family because I spend longer hours on the road carrying water home. Traveling longer distances and at the same time paying for the water has been a great challenge given that I solely rely on my husband's motorcycle riding occupation which is not sustainable.
