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
55000 KES ($450 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
What I'm hopping to accomplish is investing so much in farming. This will mean that, I will be able to harvest enough for family consumption and surplus for economic purposes. I will therefore be able to pay school fees for my children and invest in more profitable projects which will give me financial independence.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I have so much joy walking around the village and seen developments which were made possible by the GiveDirectly transfers. I cant thank you enough for the good work as I urge you to continue doing the good work that you have always done.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mason and the bread winner of the family. My wife is a housewife and she can not do much since she has no skills which can help her secure a job. Since it has not been easy for me taking all the family responsibility with the little salary that I earn from daily hustles, I have always thought of buying my wife a Friesian cow so that she can take care of it, sell milk and earn a living. Although this has been my desire for the longest time, I have not been able to achieve it and being enrolled in the program was a dream come true. With my second transfer, I spend $400 to buy a mature cow and spend the balance to buy food for my family. I a happy happy that the income that we will earn from selling milk in the near future will supplement my small income and we will be able to handle family bills comfortably.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had for a longer time desired to build a better house for my family. This dream had had to be pushed since the little income I got from my odd casual jobs could only provide us with the basic household needs. I felt so happy that my dream of owning a better house was finally going to be realized through the help of GiveDirectly. I was overwhelmed and let my family know of the same the moment we received money from GiveDirectly
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the fact that I have been able to build a new house for my family. My family is now settled well and we are one happier family than we were before we received the money. I personally am looking forward to receiving the next transfer and making more informed decisions on how to spend it well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used all of my recent transfer to build a new house for my family. We had for a long time stayed in a single house that would leave us congested and this was so discouraging to a young family of 2 like mine. I had the disire of building a better house but I lacked the means. GiveDirectly came to hold my hand and give us the much needed dignity as a family.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I will buy a lactating cow as a source of income. I need a way to earn money for food and to pay school fees. I am relying on menial jobs. Its wages are barely enough. Given that my first born will be joining secondary school early next year, I must find another source of income, so that I can pay her school fees. I plan to spend about 40, 000 on this. I will also build another house since I currently live in the kitchen. I will further spend KES 40,000 to complete and to furnish it.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last 6 months, there is a period in which we received sufficient and reliable rainfall for our crops. I had grown kales and cabbages, which performed very well. I had enough food from the small garden. The money I made from selling the crops was about KES 60,000. It brought joy to my household because we could afford all our daily needs for the 5 months that followed.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Finding enough food for my family is currently a big challenge. I am a subsistence farmer, with a very small piece of land. It is not productive enough because of poor rainfall patterns. We experience long droughts here that make the food crops fail. Additionally, lack a source of income to meet my daily needs. Our household daily expenditure is about KES 150 per day while my husband and I, make only KES 50 from menial jobs. It makes food insecurity the biggest challenge that I face.
