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 ($431 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the near future, I would like to start my own business. A supermarket. Selling cabbages, tomatoes, and onions, among many other items, would improve our household finances and, in the long run, our quality of life. This would be ideal for my long-term goal. I'd like to see my child graduate from high school, get a good job, and afford a life that we, as their parents, couldn't provide for them.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is particularly good at giving recipients hope. If it hadn't been for GiveDirectly, I would have been sleeping on the floor, with no bed to call my own. Those transfers enabled me to stand and speak as a parent and human, with no shame or regrets. GiveDirectly will be eternally grateful to me for allowing me to do so while still receiving their assistance.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
GiveDirectly funds could not have arrived at a better time. I was in desperate need of funds to expand my house from one to two bedrooms. This not only improved our quality of life, but it also allowed me to complete a task that had been on my to-do list for years. I was also able to purchase a bed, putting an end to my nights of sleeping on the floor. The next item on my shopping list was furniture. We needed seats and a table, which the transfers provided. Food and clothing for the kids were also high on my priority list, so I made sure we had plenty of both. With two children and my husband,Making $5 per day for every casual job he gets, it's clear that it would have taken us years to achieve what GiveDirectly enabled us to do with these funds. I mostly look after our 2-acre farm, where I grow maize and vegetables for domestic use. GiveDirectly has been a blessing to us, and the funds allowed us to save for both our eldest, who is in PP2 at Pentanguo School, and our youngest, who is only 2.5 years old and will begin school soon. GiveDirectly turned out to be the miracle we needed as a family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Happiness was all over my face after receiving my first transfer. Early that morning was preparing breakfast for my family and I heard my phone ring. Upon checking it was a receipt of my first transfer from Givedirectly.I felt so good since the hope of achieving my dreams was soon going to be a reality.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the transformation that I have so far seen in my house. I am grateful to have been one of the recipients since the transfer came when I needed to fix a lot in my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I was so grateful for receiving the first transfer as I had a lot to accomplish with the amount. With KES 32,800 I spent in expanding a house that I had. We had been living in a single-roomed house which served as a kitchen and a bedroom. The extended room will be used as a bedroom once it's complete. With KES 3200 I used in buying a seat and a table which we use in our sitting space. With KES 12,000 I paid a carpenter and used to saw timber which was used in preparing a bed that I had always wished to have but I didn't have money to acquire it. With the remaining amount, I spent on purchasing food for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My family of four members lives in a one bedroom house where the room is so small in a way there is no privacy among us. Worse enough we have been sleeping on the floor 12 years due to lack of beds. This situation has really affected me emotionally and I feel ashamed especially when visitors pay me a visit. Receiving this transfer would be a great solution to this menace as I will be able to buy two beds which will accommodate the four of us. The bed will cost KES 12000.
I will also spend KES 35000 to build a new 3 bed room house to accommodate more than the four members of my family. I believe through this financial aid I will overcome the shame because my family will be living in a better house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am always feeling great when I see my family in good health and when there is enough food for my family. My husband is a hardworking one who makes sure the family has something to eat even though sometimes we go without.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of stable job has been a big issue in my family, as my husband depends on casual labour which is not always available. Through this, my family lack the basic needs such as food, decent clothes and school fees.
