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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3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
50000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time over 4 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 am a reformed convict. Just before GiveDirectly came into our neighborhood, I had served a two-year term in jail. GiveDirectly came at a time a needed help most since I used the money to start life again. Besides using my first and second transfer well, I decided to buy two cows with the recent one. I have also started working on my future goals by saving some amount of money hoping to start a business for my wife as I go on with the casual jobs. I believe that with time I will be able to establish my self and to catch up with life. I do not want to indulge in crime again and this is why I am determined to shape my future.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal is to start a business for my wife. Having her run this business will mean that we will no longer be depending on casual jobs to earn a living. Our lives will definitely improve since businesses always pay better than casual jobs. We only need to strategies well and ensure there is proper management.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a large portion of my transfer on purchasing two cows. This is an investment that will help me in the future. Planning for the future is very important to me because relying on casual jobs can be frustrating. I will always sell them whenever emergencies arises. I also saved part of the money hoping to start a business for my wife. I sat down with her and agreed that having a business will be better since, through the business, she can also contribute a lot in achieving some of the family goals.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
37152 KES ($360 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I had desired to own a house for two years now. This is because I had come of age to marry and according to our culture, I am not allowed to marry before building my own house. This is why I had to find a way to build a house soon enough. Since I did not have a good income, I was not able to build one until GD sent me the transfers. I used my second transfer to buy building materials which I have used in building my house. I feel so proud of myself for this step of building a house. I want to really thank GD for the transfers because I would not have managed to build a house this soon were it not for the transfers.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
Right now , I do not have any stable source of income. I only depend on a small income from construction work. Therefore, I want to use my next transfer to start a business to help me get an income to sustain my life and meet my needs in time. I would not want to marry and add more burden when I do not have a stable income.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on buying building materials such as nails, timber and iron sheets which I am using to put up my own house. I did not have a house at home and I have been sleeping in my mother's kitchen anytime I am at home. It has been very shameful for me since most of my agemates have their own houses. I also used part of my transfer to pay masons who are working on the new house. Since that was a new house, I did not have any household items in it hence I used part of the transfer to buy them such as seats, utensils and bedding. The rest of the transfer I used as fare to travel home for the building of the house and to buy food used to feed the masons and my family member.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($194 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to save enough money from the transfers that I will be getting from Give Directly. Through this, I will be able to start a business of selling second-hand clothes. This will help me generate an income and be self-employed.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that the transfer has currently enabled me to improve my living standard. Initially, I could not even afford the very basic needs like food, clothing and also paying my house rent was difficult since I did not a source of income to depend on. The transfer has enabled me to effectively fulfil this and also enabled me to save a portion which will help me to start a small business in a few months to come.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a portion of the transfer on paying for my house rent which was at KES 2500. I bought a new bed and a mattress to replace the old bedding that I was using to sleep on. I spent the remaining amount to cater for my household needs and other expenses which include food and clothing. In addition, I also saved a percentage of the money in my account. I am expecting it to grow as I continue to save to enable me to start a business of selling second-hand clothes in a few months to come.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
I went on my daily morning schedule. So it reached a time that I was supposed to charge my phone, on checking, there was a message from Give Directly confirming the receipt of cash. I was greatly overjoyed since this money was all I had been waiting for to improve my living standard.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My first priority is to revive my business of selling shoes. I was selling shoes along the road in Eastleigh. My work collapsed since I had no enough capital to increase my stock. The profit I got was very little which I mainly used for consumption and I could not plough back in my business. With the transfers, I will be able to start all over and pump enough money which will be able to sustain my business. Secondly, I will start a new business of selling second hand clothes. I will run the business along that of selling shoes and I hope to make good profit in return. Thirdly, I will be able to build my house in upcountry. I started construction but stalled along the way due to lack of money. I will use the remaining transfer to complete my house which will make happy to be visiting my rural area very often.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is police violence because most of the time when you come across police officers, you are viewed as a suspect. The frequent of police officers in Kiamutisya Mathare is due to the criminal activities and illicit liquor. There are constant police swoops which led to me being arrested severally. This led to me borrowing money to give bribes to police officers which sometimes led me to have huge debts to cover from friends. This has led my family who rely on me live in abject poverty and shame.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to become a successful businessman in future. I would want to have a big boutique in town. There is influx of people around Nairobi and I therefore expect my business to grow and make alot of profit in return. My parents passed on while I was young and I had to drop out of school in class 6 to fend for my siblings at a younger age becoming the sole breadwinner. I would collect firewood and metal scraps to sell in order to provide food for my siblings. Having this business means I will be able to take care of my siblings upkeep. I will be able to move them out of slum, give them good medication, better housing as well as supporting them to have quality education.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
On my usual day I wake up early in the morning at 5:00am if I have work at construction sites or If I don't have work, I wake up at 7:00am to look for work in construction sites at Westlands or in town. I take bath, I prepare for breakfast and I then I leave for work. I normally work until 4:00pm and then I head back home. I then hang out with my friends until 4:00pm then head back in my house, prepare for supper and then I retire to bed. On Sunday's I relax with my friends where our group is located and on my free time I normally like to walk around Mathare.
