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 ($493 USD)
access_time almost 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 is currently different from how it would have been had I not received the transfer because if it was not for the money I would not have constructed a house. I am not sure what would have become of us, probably we would be homeless.
In addition to that, I now have a cow which is an investment for the future. Incase of an emergency I can sell some of the cows and raise money to meet my needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Give Directly does a good job especially by giving people unconditional cash transfers. Through the money most people were able to improve their lives. An example is our village where most people who were down financially have achieved most of the goals they could not achieve previously. On the other hand, I have not seen any area of improvement on their side.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought a cow for rearing with part of the recent transfer. Cows are easy to manage and at the same time after it has given birth I will benefit both from the milk and additional cow (the young one).
In addition, I constructed a house with a bigger portion of the recent transfer. The previous house was almost falling down and I feared that it could harm us.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at work at the hotel where I work at around 1300Hrs. I heard a message come into my phone and when I checked the message, it was the Mpesa message. I was very very excited and grateful.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to build a house for my family and I also bought livestock. My family and I can now live in a bigger and more spacious house, and I also own livestock now.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfers to build a house and to buy two cows. I have two children and I am employed as a cook at a local hotel. My husband is a casual laborer. The current house we live in is small and it is one-roomed. We have to scramble for space in the house. I feel very lucky that I was among the beneficiaries of the transfers as I can now build a bigger and more spacious house. I bought two cows with the hope that they will reproduce in future and bring me profit in terms of either sale of milk or even the whole cows.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a young single mother of two who always struggle to meet family daily and future goals. I grew up in a humble family forcing me to step out of my parent's home to see my children through in life. I primarily rely on hard and low paying casual jobs within my home area. To me receiving this money means a start up in life. I am planning to use the money to buy livestock. I am sure I will have milk for both household use, sales and the calves to come will be added assets that I can rely on in future to meet my family needs mainly my children education.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. I feel so happy at this hour since I am back from my casual job ready to share what I have brought home with my family for our supper and then retire to bed to rest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have ever faced in my life is lack of school fees. I love education and I worked hard with hopes that I could take my primary education to higher levels. It was hard for my parents to raise my low-primary school fees that kept me being sent home frequently until later own I decided to call off my education after my Kenya Certificate of Primary school Examination ending my hopes in life.
