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 ($507 USD)
access_time over 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 has greatly changed because of GiveDirectly. I would still be living in a temporary house were it not for their financial help. I have now upgraded to a semipermanent house. I am no longer worried in case of heavy rains. I also own a cow which I am expecting it to reproduce and benefit from the sale of milk.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly has done well in reducing the poverty that we were in. We did not have good houses to live in, providing for our families would have been a challenge especially the onset of Covid-19. The transfer has enabled us to build new houses, take care of our family's basic needs effectively as well as owning living assets such as cows. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a larger portion of my second transfer on buying building materials which include blocks, cement and sand to renovate my house. It was mudded and my desire was to rebuild it to be semipermanent. I was always not at peace whenever it rained heavily, since it could not withstand the rains. I also paid for the cost of labour and purchased a new door and fixed it.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($517 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I can still remember vividly just like yesterday at around 9 AM when I was preparing breakfast for my children, my phone started ringing. Without wasting time, I decided to check who could it be. Upon checking, I realized it was an mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I had finally received my first transfer then I had anxiously been waiting for. I was so happy and started planning on how I will spend the money on.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having my own dairy cow that I am currently rearing in my compound makes the biggest difference in my daily life. I have really been yearning to own one for a long period of time due to the poverty life that had stricken my family, I could not afford to purchase one. With the dairy cow, I am assured of getting various benefits which include milk, manure and many more. In a few weeks to come, I am sure I will be getting plenty of milk which I will be supplying it to the neighboring markets and through this, I will be generating an income for my daily upkeep. The remaining few liters will be for my family consumption and this will be a surplus to their daily meals. In addition to that, my farm will be more productive since I will be getting manure from the cow, hence I will save money that I have been using to but some artificial fertilizers. From that, I am hopeful and happier because my life shall not be the same again.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying a dairy cow which cost KES 17000. This has been my desire for years but I could not afford it since they were costly and I had some basic needs to cater to. I also bought some beddings such as a bed and a mattress. This was to replace the traditional beddings that I was previously using which I was not comfortable with and I was always attacked by some bedbugs which were affecting me healthwise. I then bought some bags of cement and sand to renovate my house to look more decent. I then paid school fees in advance to my children so that they could study without any disturbances. The remaining amount of money I bought some foodstuffs and household items that I did not have.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I constructed my house with a lot of difficulties, say through charcoal business and borrowing of loans from my friends. My wish has been to reinforce it with stones but due to inadequate financial resources, my dream has never materialized and I was worried that if at all it gets demolished by rains, I would be the most suffering person in the village. With the promising future from GiveDirectly's cash grant, I am a happy person to learn that soon, I will be able to reinforce it since I intend to spend at least $300 to do this including cementing the floor. On the other hand, I yearn to start livestock keeping in order to have resources that can cater for my daughter's education once she advances to secondary school. I am planning to buy 2 indigenous dairy cows at a cost of $300 and 5 goats at $30 each. Having done this, I will be assured of living a comfortable life and hence, this is generally what receiving this money means you me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I usually spend the better part of my day doing my normal work of charcoal burning, a job that is very tedious and its income is not reliable owing to the reality that it's low paying, say; $4.5 per sack. It is only in the evening when I get substantial time to rest from my busy day. Therefore, I consider the evening being my happiest part of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income to steadily cater to my family's basic needs is generally the biggest hardship that I have ever faced. Imagine charcoal burning is what I have known in my life since the death of my husband 10 years ago! It has been a life of tensions not knowing the fate of what life has for me in the future. Sometimes I skip meals just to ensure my daughter doesn't miss her exams and this has forced me to seek help from well-wishers among them my relatives.
