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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3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
50000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Currently, my life is different from how it was in that, I was able to take care of my needs with ease. I managed to offset the fee balance for my siblings and children on time. We have also been eating well since I have been able to make more profits from the business that I managed to boost with the transfer. I thank GiveDirectly for the positive impact they brought in my life
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
I do not have a new goal at the moment. I want to concentrate on managing my business which I restocked with the second transfer. It is doing well so far. I do not want it to collapse because it has been helping me pay a lot of bills. I have been able to achieve a lot that I couldn't have achieved without this additional source of income. I am determined to drop everything to ensure it succeeds.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my transfer to purchase two cows. This is an investment that I can use later on when emergencies arise. Apart from the cows I also bought seats. Initially, I had plastic chairs. They were never decent since they were weak and most of them had broken down. Recently, a visitor fell down after she sat on one of the weak chairs. I am lucky she didn't break any part of her body. I was even worried about inviting anyone to my home. Buying the seats means a lot to me. I am glad that after the change, their is a friend who came visiting and lamented that my seats are beautiful. Apart from that, I decided to spend the remaining amount on food.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
37152 KES ($360 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My younger brother who is currently in primary seven had dropped out of school for close to a year after my parents failed to raise money to clear his fees arrears. We tried talking to the teachers to allow him in school as we look for the money to clear the balance of his fees but since he had a huge balance in school, He was never allowed back. Due to low and minimal income from casual work, we could not raise the money until I received my first transfer from GD. I was able to to use part of my first transfer to clear his fees arrears and I am glad he is now doing well in the study. He got affected in his performance when he reported back after such a long time out of school but he has picked up well and his performance have improved.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal is to buy a cow. I feel this is the best and cheap investment whose value grows very fast and requires very little resources to take care of. When it reproduces, I will have a number of them and whenever I have any financial difficulty mostly on school fees, I will be able to sell them to raise money to pay the arrears for my brother and children.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on boosting my household item business which was not doing very well. The business has been my main source of income and supporting all my family needs. As a result of not inputting more resources to the business, it was not doing very well and I feared it would soon collapse. This is why I chose to boost it with my transfer. I used part of the transfer to pay school fees arrears for my brother who had dropped out of school because my parents did not have the money to pay. He had stayed home for two terms as the rest were studying. The rest of the transfer I used to pay back a loan I took from my table banking group to help me pay arrears for my children who had been sent home for the same. I am glad they are now studying peacefully in school because I was able to clear the balance.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($193 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to start a business. I plan to open a shop. I normally sell plastic items but the business has low returns, therefore, I still have to depend on my husband for upkeep. I am certain that if I run a shop, I will get more income that will help me to take care of my needs easily. I will also be in a position of helping my husband to achieve some of the family goals that we never accomplished due to lack of enough money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life ever since I started receiving money from GiveDirectly is that I am more peaceful. I managed to build my own house using the first transfer transfers. I have acquired peace of mind after achieving one of my long term goals. I am glad that I have privacy because I no longer sleep in my mother inlaw's house unlike before. GiveDirectly removed the shame and mental torture that I was going through due to the inability to build my house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a large portion of my transfer on purchasing iron sheets. We pooled efforts with my husband and managed to build a house back at home. I am very happy because we no longer have to sleep in my mother inlaw's house whenever we visit them. I sincerely thank GiveDirectly for changing my life. I no longer have to worry about our privacy while at home. As a second wife, I had lost hope of building a house because my husband has now retired therefore he doesn't have the resources to construct another house. It was difficult for him to take care of both the first wife and my need's too. Were it not for GiveDirectly, I could still be sleeping at my mother in law's house. I feel relieved because I now have my privacy. I finally used the remaining amount on paying school fees for my brother who is almost sitting for his final examination.
Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
It was around 4 am in the morning when I heard a message on my phone. This was unusual because I had never received a message that early ever since I started using a phone. The vibration sound had woken me up and I decided to read the message. When I realized that it was from GiveDirectly, I was so happy and the first person that I told was my husband who was awake bu then. We were overjoyed to the extent that we did not go back to sleep. We spent the rest of the early part of the morning planing on how best we can use the money till day break.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My first priority is to invest in my existing business of selling plastic items like basins. I will use half of the first transfer to increase stock of my business located in Mathare 4A. The population is high providing a ready market for my business, I therefore expect to get alot of profit in return. Secondly, I will be able to support my brother's education. He is in class 7 and my parents are not well enough financially. I have been the one paying his school fees. I would want him to get good education so that in future he can be able to get a good job and cater for his upkeep. Thirdly, I will build my home in upcountry. I will be able to construct my own house. Traveling upcountry was a problem to my family since I had to sleep in my mother-in-law house which I felt ashamed of myself.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is my family in particular my children because I don't have a stable source of income. I normally get my income from selling samosas and plastic items that is always not enough. I want my three children to get good education, food and clothing. At times I struggle so much to make ends meet so that I can provide for their upkeep. I normally feel very sad when I see my children being sent home from school. I always fear that they might drop out of school and this may lead to so many challenges in their life like engaging in criminal activities and drug abuse.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambition is to become a nurse. I had a passion of becoming a nurse while I was young. There was a time in primary school when I was sick and was taken to hospital, I found a nurse who was welcoming and this gave me an interest of becoming one. My dream of becoming a nurse were shattered when my exam results were cancelled in 2008 at kisoko Girls in Busia county due to cheating in the national exams. I was unable to continue with my education since I had four of my siblings in highschool and my parents could not afford to take me back to school. If I had pursued my education I would have been a nurse, gotten a formal employment and lived a good life.My younger brother followed my dreams and he is now a doctor and is living a better life. He has encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming a nurse. With a nursing job I will be able to provide for my family upkeep with much ease.
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
On my usual day I normally wake up early in the morning at 6:00am, prepare samosas to sell along the road in Mathare 4A upto 8:00am. I sell samosas in the morning since many of the people in my hood use them as breakfast. I then return back home, prepare my daughter and take her to a nearby school. I then head back in the house, do house chores, take a shower and I then go to my place of work of selling plastic items until 6:00pm in the evening. I then head back to my house, wash my daughter, prepare samosas to sell the following day in the morning, preparing supper for the family and then I retire to bed. On Fridays I normally go to purchase plastic items at Kamukunji in town then head back home.
In my free time, I like to relax at home and watching movies.
