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 ($458 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?
I do farming as my main source of income, and to boost my production I added one dairy so that I can have more milk for sale thus making more revenue. Having achieved my main goal in dairy farming, I now have another one that I also think can help me to earn more from farming. I would like to venture into poultry farming so that I can have eggs for sale. I plan to put up a poultry house and a perimeter fence to keep the birds safe from predictors. That's the plan which I got at the moment.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly gave us the money and there were no conditions on what to spend. Most people spent the money well according to their needs and this was so unique about the program. Through my observation, people are now looking happier than before they got the transfers. Most of them have good shelter, sleep well, eat well, and have their children in school.
To me, I did see anything which GiveDirectly never did well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a passionate farmer and when I got financial aid, I spent KES 35000 on buying a dairy cow for milk production. I then spent KES 5000 on paying school fees for my child who is in high school. The rest of KES 15000, I spent on buying the stock of foodstuffs, some utensils, and a few clothes for myself.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($481 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 5.40 pm while relaxing at home. That's when I got a message alert from GiveDirectly. On checking, I was very elated because I had received the eagerly awaited KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I, therefore, planned on how to use them before the withdrawal.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is peace because now I have cleared my son's school fees.Before, I relied on the posho mill income to pay school fees but the returns were not enough to school my child.
Secondly, my posho mill is making a lot income since most of my customers are GiveDirectly recipients who just received their transfers and they can now afford to buy maize meals.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a single mother and have been living at the back of my father's shop for lack of a house. Therefore, once I received the transfers I spent KES 35,000 on the construction of a modern Iron roofed two-roomed house with 22 Iron sheets.
Secondly, I spent 5,500 on payment of school fees arrears. This is because fee payment has been a struggle for me. This is because I run my father's posho mill and there has been no income due to scarcity of maize in our area because of the to maize pandemic.
Thirdly, I bought a bag of maize at KES 2,500 and KES 3,000 on other food and household items. This will sustain me for a longer time. Before in order to get food I do small scale maize and bean farming .
Lastly, I spent KES 5000 on the latest clothing fashion. This is because earlier I could only afford second-hand clothes.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a single mother of 3 living in a borrowed house from my parents. The house which I live in is too small to accommodate all of us because part of the room, I use it to run a small shop business. My ambition has been to build a house for my family and live a decent life. I intend to spend approximately KES 40,000 of the transfer to construct it. I am glad that I will soon construct a house for my family and live a comfortable life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last 6 months, none of my family members has fallen sick and this is what has brought joy and happiness in my life. We are facing hard economic times and the coronavirus pandemic period which has led to sleepless nights. Despite that, I am glad that my family and I are leading a healthy life free from sickness.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial inadequacies are the major challenges I am currently facing. I graduated from college 13 years ago and since then, I have been unable to secure any job. I feel sad that I have to do a manual job and engage in an unsustainable small business yet I graduated from college. The profit I get is approximately KES 100 a day and that cash is hardly enough to cater to a family of 5. My prayer to God is to open opportunities in life that will lead to financial breakthroughs.
