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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving these transfers is that my business is now doing well. My whole family depended on my income from the small cloth business and since it was a hand-to-mouth business, I could not improve the status of my family. We used to struggle to make ends meet with my income. This is why I decided to channel part of my transfers in boosting my cloth business on a monthly basis. As a result, I was able to improve my income and used part of the profits to start a PlayStation business.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal is to boost my PlayStation business By adding more equipment. I plan to use part of the transfer to buy another television so that I can have many customers at a go which will intern increase my income when I am able to serve many customers at once.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on boosting my cloth business by adding more stock to the business. The business has not been doing well since it has only been my source of income and used part of the business resources to start another PlayStation business so as to boost my income.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
3997 KES ($39 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
We were financially unstable before we started receiving these transfers and mostly had to rely on pour parents for financial support. The instability was due to the poor running of the business that we had operating a play station. Some of the equipment used in this business wear out fast and needs frequent replacements for the full enjoyment of the customer. But because the business is all we depended on to cater to our financial needs, the frequent replacements were not easy and most times we had to temporarily close down the business as tried to find other sources of money to buy new equipment. Since we started receiving the transfers, the shop has never had to be closed for such reasons because the transfers help in such situations. This has made the business more stable giving us more financial stability.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
We recently had a fire accident which burnt down one of our business where we were running a barbershop. The shop has already been reconstructed and all that is left is to buy the equipment and machines which are quite expensive. However, with our current financial situation after spending a lot of money on the renovations, buying the required machines for the barbershop will be very tough, so I am planning to turn the shop into a boutique where I will be selling second-hand clothes which requires a very little capital. I will run this business for some time as I assess it's profitability compared to the barbershop while also trying to make decent savings fro any future plans. If the business will not be much profitable, I will get back to the previous one, but if it does well, then I will have it permanently.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Last month, there was a fire accident that burnt down my house and one of my business areas where I had a barbershop. It has been a struggle getting back to normal because we lost all of our belongings in the accident. So far, we have managed to construct a new house and the shop and the money I received this month was entirely used to buy the materials that were used to renovate and paint the remaining areas.
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
5000 KES ($48 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Currently, my life is different from how it was in that, I have been able to boost my business with the transfer and I have seen a great change in that, I get more income on a daily basis as compared to before. I have also attracted more customers because the machines are in good conditions, they do not hang a lot like they used to. I can only thank, GiveDirectly for the major changes that I have been able to do in my business which was almost collapsing.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal is to boost the business by buying more Tv screens and even putting up an-Mpesa. I want to make sure that my business grows because this will make me get more money that I can use for my future goals.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my transfer to boost my business. I normally operate an entertainment room where parents and children come to enjoy themselves by playing various games using the play station. I had the machines but they needed repair and so I decided to use the whole of the amount to repair them. They are now back on track and do not hang a lot like they used to. We normally depend on this business to take care of our daily needs and this is why I had to make sure that the machines run well.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
5000 KES ($50 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I am planning to take my children to a private school. I want them to learn in the private school because there is more learning resources there and the quality of teaching is higher than in the public school they are in.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that my barber shop has become a modern business premise. I used the money I received on expanding my business. I increased the no of shaving machines and made the shop look more descent by furnishing with very nice chairs and mirrors. This has increased the no of clients I get per day. I make more money than I used to before I started receiving the transfers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 5000 of the most recent transfers on buying equipment for my business. I have a barber shop and only had one shaving machine. I used this transfer to buy one.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
I received the money while I was attending to one of my customers in my barbershop. I read the message that bore the good news so carefully just to make sure that It was genuine. On realizing that the money from GiveDirectly had come, I continued with my work but could not hide my joy from the clients I was very excited the whole day as I kept planning on how to change my life using the transfers.
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My first priority is to use the money in expanding my businesses of a barbershop and a play station arcade. Currently there is a new version of the play station which I don't have. I want to buy one so that my clients can enjoy the new games, this way I will get a wider market too.
My second priority is to use this money to start a new business of selling second hand clothes. My wife can help me in doing that. We can be buying bakes from Gikomba market then sell. We will use part space from our barbershop to sell the clothes.
Lastly am going to use the money for my children's school fees. That way they can stay in school and I won't be worried so much on where to find money for their fees.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is family especially my children because I want them to grow up in a better world and situation than how I was raised. I want them to get better and quality education without having to worry being sent home due to lack of school fees.
My second concern is gang violence/crime because I stay in a very insecure place called Utalii sub county in Mathare. There are various gang groups here who terrorize the security of the community. Though there has been some improvement I fear for my life and that of my family. With bad company and peer pressure I wouldn't want my children to be influenced and die early.
My third concern is not achieving my ambitions in life and this will mean, I can't help support my children's dreams or provide a better life for them and my wife.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to be a successful businessman. I want to expand my barbershop and PlayStation arcade to bigger and wider spaces.
I also want in future to have a courier business, based all over the country. I will be transporting different commodities. Once this happens I will be able to provide a better life for my family.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
On my usual day I wake up early do some cleaning at my barbershop , then I stay there the whole day attending to clients from both the PlayStation shop and barbershop till evening, check the books and budget the money earned for the next day then go back home.
On my free time I play football with my friends and also watch football matches during the weekends. But sometimes I just spend time with my wife and children indoors.