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 ($493 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
There is a great difference in my current life as compared to how it would have been had I not received the transfers. I still have not believed that I have a better house with separate room from my children and kitchen. Unlike before when I stayed in the kitchen which was a single room. I am happy and really appreciate Give Directly for the support.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Give Directly is doing a great job, especially by giving people cash and let them decide on how to spend it. Most of us who could barely afford a whole day's meal managed to invest in various ways and some of them even have decent houses. On the other hand, there is no area that they are not doing good at.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I did not have a reasonable house, the one I had fell down leaving me to stay in the kitchen. When I received the first transfer I started constructing a house but I ran out of cash so I did not complete it. I, therefore, completed it with a bigger portion of the second transfer.
Part of the money I spent on bedding so as to replace the old worn out bedding that I had. I am happy I don't only have a roof over my head but I can also afford a peaceful sleep in the decent bedding that I bought.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($501 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 1300Hrs and I heard a message come into my phone. I checked my phone and it was the Mpesa message. I was very very happy. I knew that I could finally build a house for my family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to build a house for my family. We can now own our own house and live in dignity.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfers to build a house. We are happy that we can now live in a bigger and more spacious house. We have two children and we did not have a house. We only lived in the kitchen at the home where we live. The kitchen is also small. I am unemployed while my husband is a driver. He earns what is enough to feed us only. I am grateful to GiveDirectly that we can now live in dignity in a better and more spacious house.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always had a desire to have my own house after my previous one fell due to heavy rainfall. I have had to live in a kitchen together with my 2 children for 8 months now. When I receive my GiveDirectly transfers, I intend to use 50,000 shillings to build a three-roomed house for my family. This will regain the privacy which I lost for a long time. I will also use 12,000 shillings to buy 6 goats which I will sell later when I have a financial emergency. The remaining amount I will save for my children's school fees when schools resume.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I do casual jobs whereby I move around in our nearby center searching for laundry jobs. When it reaches evening I return home after a busy working day. Evening becomes the happiest part of my day because this is the time I feel relaxed and I also spend more time with my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My child was admitted to the hospital for three months, he was suffering from pneumonia. We were told by the doctors to pay 30,000 shillings for the treatment but we have not managed to do so till date. My husband and I are both jobless. This forced me to look for a laundry job at our nearby center so that I can raise the hospital bill. Therefore, financial crisis becomes the biggest hardship I have faced in my life.
