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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($466 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 did not have any new goal, I had planned on building a better and more spacious house and secondly paying school fees for my son in university, Those were my main two priorities and I am so grateful that I have fulfilled them.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The registration and the training were done well without any discrimination. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 30,000 to build a better and more spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small house that could not host all my family well. This was so demoralizing and stressful whenever we has visitors, there was no space to host them. We are so happy because we have a decent and spacious house. I spent KES 14,000 to pay school fees for my son who is in the university. He is studying well now without being disturbed. The rest of the money I spent on food, clothes and household items. We are so grateful because GiveDirectly has enabled us own good houses which could have taken quite some time to construct.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($491 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Receiving such a huge amount was beyond my imagination and had to thank God so much for giving us another opportunity to rise again out of the struggles we had been undergoing in our family. I was at home that morning and my phone was still charging when I received a message that confirmed the receipt of the money. I could not react to the message immediately but after some minutes, I got a call from a neighbor who was asking me whether I had also received it. At that point, I had to check it up, and lucky enough, I had the money in my account. I was really happy and had to start planning to withdraw since the spending plan was in place.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The construction of a new house for my family is the biggest difference in my daily life as it has brought back the hope of seeing an organized home with children in a different space where they can enjoy their privacy, sleep, and also store their clothing that is currently mixed up with ours. This extra room will also come in handy whenever we have a visitor since we will no longer be struggling with space but with an extra room where they can spend their night.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With my family, we had been living in a small house enough to accommodate just my children and the four grandchildren whom I have been staying with. Constructing a bigger one had been in our plans and had to effect it right after receiving the first transfer. With this support, I spent KES30000 on obtaining iron sheets, building poles, and also paying the labor charges on the construction work. I am glad that the progress is so good that I am expecting us to start using the new house early next month once we are done with the interior finishing. I also paid KES 10000 on school fees for my son currently in college, obtained foodstuff worth KES 2300, clothed my four grandchildren with part of the remaining, and saved the little amount since I needed to keep checking the requirements on the construction site. I am glad to see the progress of all the projects I initiated, and I am hoping that I will be able to accomplish all and even start new ones with the second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We are growing old and with this, I have had the idea of building a bigger house that can accomodate us and our guests. We plan to use some amount of the transfer to build it. We also plan to pay some amount of money for my son's fee and buy a cow with the remaining amount since we do not own one.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the because because I wake up when I am well, preparing my grandchild for school and getting to schedule for my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge that I have had is paying school fees for my children. We do not have any job and rely on my husband's job of repairing machines to educate and also feed my family.