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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($485 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different than how it would have been if I never received the transfers in that we have started saving some money and planing on building a better house. We do casual jobs and also sell second hand clothes and groceries. The amount of money that we get through this business we save in a bank. We are planning on building a better house for my family. We live in a small grass thatched house which cannot host all the family comfortably. When we reached our target savings we will withdrew all the money from the bank and start the process of building a house. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has enabled us to start the saving culture. We hope to build the best house where we gonna be comfortable with our family. We are also planning on improving our business to earn us goof profits. This will enable us to educate our children. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard and given us hope for better things tomorrow.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy livestock. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I saved 500 dollars in a bank planning on building a house soon. My spouse do casual jobs and also sell second hand clothes at the market. Whenever he gets some profits we save in a bank with an aim of build a decent house next year. We live in a small grass thatched house.The rest of the money I bought food and clothes for my family members. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard and given us hope.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I remember very well I was doing the laundry when my mobile phone started ringing. I decided to check since I was waiting to hear from GiveDiretly. Only to realize that it was an Mpesa message from the SEGOVIA TECHNOLOGY I was so excited and I remember leaving the clothes and started celebrating with my family. Up to date, it still feels like a dream to me.
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 am now hopeful and happier ever since I started the business of selling second-hand clothes also know as mitumba. Initially, I used to depend on odd jobs with meager income which could not fend for my family's needs. Also, my parents have been unwell and I was the one responsible for their medication, considering my low income it was a major challenge to me. However, after starting, this business I am glad to mention that nowadays I can make a profit of KES 1500 to 2000 in a day. This has enabled me to buy the drugs for my parents on time and buying enough food since they need to eat well. Also proving for my children has been easy and I am no longer complaining like before. This business has for sure transformed my life at a higher rate in such a way that sometimes I feel like I am deeply dreaming.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on starting a new business of selling second-hand clothes 'mitumba' at KES 25000. This has always been my dream to at least get capital to start this business but I could not afford to raise the capital needed. I am also planning to buy a few building materials such as iron sheets, building poles, nails, and thread. This will majorly for the construction of a new shelter becasue the previous one is grass thatched with a leaky roof. Also, I am planning to send my firstborn to school in two months' time.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
At the moment my husband is doing second hand clothes business but the capital is from his friend. I have wished to start our own business but due to financial crisis, this dream has never materialized. My plan once I receive this transfer is to provide capital for my husband in order to start his own business that will fully support our basic needs and to ensure this is possible, I will spend utmost $300 of the first transfer as a capital. On the other hand, my intention is to spend the second transfer to construct a spacious iron roofed house for my family because the one I currently own is a grass thatched one that is leaking during rain seasons. This will change my life for the better, a transformation that I have ever wished for a long time.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The evening is the happiest part of my day because I usually get ample time to rest from the strenuous day's work. Unlike in the morning and afternoon hours when I sometimes have to go around the village selling the second hand clothes, a job that drain much of my energy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I was married as a housewife but this is something that I never dreamed of. This has forced me to depend on my husband who is doing second-hand clothes business but his income is never enough to cater for our basic needs like food and nice shelter. Therefore, the lack of a reliable source of income has been my greatest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.
