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 ($453 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?
I have a new goal which is to raise enough cash so that I can be able to construct another rental house. So far this is the best which is so lucrative not forgetting that it's a long-term investment. I believe that once I will be able to acquire the cash and start this project, my life will transform positively. I will not have to strain whenever I experience any financial need.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, I feel GiveDirectly did a very nice job by ensuring that they visited each household in my entire village. They did not discriminate anytime regardless of religion or tribe. Also, we all received exactly the amount as promised during the enrolment period. Therefore I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on purchasing construction materials which cost almost $300. These were purposefully for the completion of my rental house which is in the village. I am so happy and grateful that the house is now completed and fully occupied. For the last two months, I have been receiving rent from my tenants. This money will be of help, especially in paying my children's school fees and fulfilling their other basic needs. To add on that, I bought an ox at $100 which I believe will be of great support, especially in my agricultural activities. I will be combining it with that of my relative to make it a pair and prepare my farm in good time. Also, I will be hiring it for friends at a fee which shall be an additional income. With the remaining amount of money, I have been buying food for my family which is composed of seven members.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($465 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 5 in the evening when I was from the farm when I realized that I had received my first cash transfer from GiveDirectly. I had to recheck since I thought it was a scam. I felt so happy and blessed since I was certain that my life will never be the same again.
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 complete my rental house. This has been the long-term investment that I have always been willing to operate but I couldn't afford to purchase the remaining building materials because of the poverty life that I have been encountering. I have been depending on farming activities, and my spouse has been the breadwinner for the nine family members. It has never been easy at all, and we thought of constructing the rental house will be of help, especially to our kid's education. For now, two rooms have already been occupied and we are expecting more tenants since it's in the town centre. Therefore, I believe that I will no longer be straining like before in meeting my family's needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 35000 of my first cash transfer to buy bricks, cement and the labour charges. This was for the completion of my rental house that I has initially started but stuck at some point due to insufficient funds. Later on, I bought a donkey at KES 10000 which has been of help in carrying water from the dam to my homestead. Also, I have been hiring it for my neighbours at a fee and generating an income. Also, I paid fees for my children in primary schools and used the remaining amount to buy foodstuffs.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I'm currently a housewife with four children, three of them attending grade school. My husband on the other hand is employed in Mombasa as a plumber earning 18000 KES. This amount of money is quite too little to cover his bills in town and also set aside some to send to us here in the village. For this reason, we have been experiencing a lot of hardship especially towards the end of the month with children crying for food. It really breaks my heart every month to have to go through this. I have always longed for a financial jumpstart so that I can start a business to eek out my husband's income. Getting this money will warrant me that breakthrough and I have planed to sell grocery and other essentials in the village. I know this business will automatically peak because right now we do not have a shop here and the trading center is some distance away.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Life has been really hard for us especially now that I'm even breastfeeding and doesn't the the amount of energy needed to make money through the physical means like burning charcoal. We've been forced to depend solely on my husband's income of 18000 KES. But amidst all that I feel happy that I was able to deliver my last child safely despite the fear I had in the last stages of pregnancy. I had already shown some signs of complications and even got a lot of warnings from doctors and nurses.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged draught has completely transformed the village life I used to know. It used to be farming and livestock keeping, but all that is currently impossible. Moreover, it has made life even more expensive for us as we have to buy water and every type of vegetables even those that we could have gotten from the farms normally. This means you need money to be able to afford life here generally. But even with money we still get to those times when we do not even have the water supply because the water company can only pump occasionally.
