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.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 8 pm when I was cooking supper. I heard a message notification from my phone. I reluctantly check it out I did not know it was from GiveDirectly. When I checked it out it was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and immediately informed my children and we all celebrated. That was the highest amount I have ever had and I was so happy. I knew I would be able to renovate my house. We aligned with my children and I went to withdraw the money the following day.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Renovating my house is the biggest difference in my daily life since this has been my dream. I spent all the transfer on purchasing building materials which include cement, sand, and other materials that were needed. I lived in a house that was dusty and the walls were mud. I depend on small-scale farming and casual jobs in the village. The money that I would get was so small and it was only for household basic needs of the family. This was my only opportunity to invest in renovating the house. I cemented the floor and the walls. The house is now complete and it's so decent compared to where we had not renovated. Before we were exposed to dusty particles which could cause some respiratory-related diseases. It's not easy to main a mud house since every time it requires smearing. Currently, I live in a better house and I am so grateful for the support. GiveDirectly has enabled me to fulfill my dream of owning a better house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 55,000 on purchasing building materials and renovated my house to look decent. This had been always my wish but I did not have the money. We were always been exposed to dusty particles secondly it's not easy to maintain a mud house. I depend on casual jobs and small-scale farming, the money that I could get from this was so small and it was only for basic needs. Currently, I live in a better and decent house which had always been my dream. We are no longer being exposed to dusty particles and whenever we have visitors we are no longer shy off to welcome them. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly had improved our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I'm a single mother of three and I have been struggling to make ends meet. I'm happy that Give Directly has come at the right time to help me pay school fees for my first born who is joining highschool. Annual school fees is about KES 45,000, and this is hard for me to raise given that I do manual jobs to earn a living. I will also buy a cow to supply the family with milk and also sell some to earn an income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My son passed his primary school exams and will be joining highschool this week. I was so impressed and happy for his performance given that we have been struggling with life together.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Buying food for my family is very expressive. We consume maize worth KES 1000 every week. Its hard for me to raise that amount from casual jobs that I do since the jobs are inconsistent and pay less.
