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
53150 KES ($498 USD)
access_time 3 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 currently different from the way it would have been had I not received the transfer in that if it was not for the money I would still be staying in the leaking house. My previous house had a broken roof with a better part of the wall fallen off. Everyone could see me from outside, it was more or less the same as staying in the open air. I am glad I can have my privacy since the current house has a door and is fully covered.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Give Directly does well by giving cash to individuals. Through the money I was able to construct a better house. There are more needy people like me who were also able to improve their lives through the cash transfers.On the other hand, I have not seen any areas that they need to improve on.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought building materials with a bigger portion of the recent transfer which I have used to complete constructing my house. The previous house was in a bad condition, especially the roof was almost falling off whole part of the wall was totally down. I did not find it safe to stay in it hence I had to construct a better house.
A portion of the money I spent on food for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($501 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I recieved the message on my phone and I when my helper read the contents, I felt happy because I had finally received the transfer I have been anxiously waiting for. I thanked GiveDirectly for fulfilling their promise to us.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I spent the better part of my life living in a shanty grass thatched hut. I had no plans of upgrading to a better house because of my lowly financial status. I desired to one day live in an iron roofed house but I could not afford to buy the materials at my own cost. It was until GiveDirectly came to me when I began to see my dream being fulfilled. Through their financial support, I managed to buy enough building materials which include iron sheets, nails and building poles and constructed a decent iron roofed house. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to build my dream house and this makes it to be the biggest difference in my daily life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a bigger portion of my first transfer on building a decent iron roofed house. I bought building materials which include 22 pieces of iron sheets, building poles and paid for the labour cost involved. I am happy to live in my new house since I was previously sheltering in a grass thatched house which was in a very bad state. In addition to this, I also bought two goats which I am currently keeping in my compound. My expectation is that they will reproduce and increase in number. I spent the remaining amount to buy foodstuffs and other household items that I lacked.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been desired to build a good house because my current house is not in good condition such that it lea during rain season . When I receive the money I will use 40,000 Kenya shillings to build a three-roomed house which will accommodate us. I will also use 30,000 Kenya shilling to buy a bed and high-density mattress so that I can sleep comfortably. The remaining amount I will use for my daily basic needs such as food and clothing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a subsistence farmer is not an easy job because I usually spend the better part of my day at the farm doing farming which drains a lot of energy. I return home in the evening and this is the time we interact with my family and narrating stories while sharing our meals, thus evening is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a subsistence farmer, I usually do manually farming where I only plow a small piece of land because my life condition does not allow me to hire a tractor for farming which means low yields are produced that last only for three months and forces me to do other casual jobs so that to get some income which will assist in our daily needs, thus lack of food security is the biggest hardship in my life.
