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 ($444 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 next one year, I hope to complete the construction of our house by putting up strong walls. This is because the walls are not stable enough, the aim is to make it more durable. Accomplishing this will ensure that I will no longer have to renovate it frequently which is an expensive task. Furthermore, I intend to continue offering educational support to my 2 grandchildren. They are still in primary school and planning to save some money from casual work at construction sites to further their studies.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Givedirectly did well in enrolling all the poor household in our village without discrimination. Furthermore, the selection criteria was open and fair to everyone right from the community barazas to the enrollment stage. I feel that there is need for the officers to independently without considering other people information while enrolling the potential beneficiaries.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Providing a quality education for my children has always been my desire. After receiving the recent transfers, I spent $350 to support the studies of my firstborn child who was in his final year at Teachers training college taking a diploma in primary education. He had a huge fee balance and was about to drop out of school. At the moment, I am happy that he was able to complete his studies and is currently looking for a job. Additionally, I spent the remaining amount to renovate our house that was leaking by putting up a new iron roof. I used the money to purchase 24 iron sheets and paid the labor cost. Nowadays, we reside in a better structure like others in the community something that has restored joy and confidence that we had been missing for a long time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
While brushing my teeth in the morning at around 7 am, I heard people from some family members talking about receiving some money from GiveDirectly. I silently went into my house to confirm too if I was among the ones who received theirs. Upon checking my phone, I was exhilarated by the only message which was on the screen. I felt so happy and called my wife who was in the kitchen to inform her of the good news. Due to happiness, my wife jumped up and down in happiness since we were sincerely in need of some money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Sincerely speaking, I was stuck with my child who is in college. I had done all that I could in vain and the child was on the verge of dropping because of school fees. I am very grateful for the help I received from GiveDirectly because it rescued my child’s education. As of now, I am somehow relieved though fighting to get the remaining amount for the coming semester I feel I got a huge relief from the transfer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon withdrawing the money, the first thing we did was send some school fees to our child who is in college doing a diploma in education. Since we were struggling so much in paying his fees we opted to pay the arrears and also a bigger percentage of the semester fee thus I sent KES 36000.00. Thereafter, I used KES 3000.00 to fix some tap water at my home. I also bought some school uniforms for my grandchild and a mattress for KES 3600.00. Since my house had some leakages at some parts of the roof, I bought four pieces of iron sheets for KES 4600.00 and made some renovations. For the remaining amount, I bought some food for my family and saved KES 7000.00 for emergencies.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I build a self-contained house many years back but I could not manage to see it to completion because of lack of money. The iron sheets are worn out now as a result of rust. I have developed insomnia worrying about my family health which is at risk due to the instability of the structure. Receiving this money will enable me to renovate my house and this will make me joyous because now I will not have to worry anymore and also be able to sleep at peace. My other plan is to educate my only child, she is currently pursuing a Diploma in education which has strained me a lot. Though she is almost done with her studies, the debts I have accumulated to make sure she finishes school is weighing too much on me. My expenditure when it comes to repairing the house and doing other secondary things are as follows: 45,000 KES on the house, 30,000 KES on school fees and saving the rest of the money for emergencies.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I had a plan of getting piped water but lack of finances made it impossible to do so until in Nov when I managed to get a work contract in a nearby school that earned me some money. I used the cash to fulfill the plan and also bought a stock of food that lasted us for 2 months. This brought joy and happiness to my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I survive from hand to mouth. Lack of a stable source of income has played a big role in my current situation. My worry now is on how to renovate my unstable house and educate my child in college. Having all these thoughts without a solution is depressing. Therefore, insufficient flow of money is my biggest challenge in life at the moment.
