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 ($440 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?
The new goal that I have is to purchase proper bedding for the family. This is because we are currently sleeping on the floor with old rags as bedding which are not comfortable and always experience backbone pains after waking up. Also, I plan to purchase a water tank and install gutters around my house to collect and store rainwater for the family's consumption. At the moment there is a drought in our area and finding clean water has been a great challenge for us
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in sending the cash transfers directly to the mobile phones of their beneficiaries. With unconditional cash aid, I was able to restore my dignity after constructing a house for the children something that I have yearned for many years. I do not see anything that the organization did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For many years, I have been living in the same house with my 6 grown-up children, One son and 5 daughters aged between 10-18years something that is against the norms of our traditions. I have always received criticism from our neighbors due to this situation which has lowered my self-esteem. I had desired to construct a separate shelter for them so that I could restore my dignity but I lack the financial capacity. After receiving the transfers, I spent most of my recent transfers on purchasing building materials and constructing a decent two-roomed mud-walled house for the children. At the moment, I am happy that I was able to restore my privacy and dignity with my wife. In addition, I spent part of the remaining amount to purchase proper school uniforms for my children who were wearing torn ones. Lastly, I bought enough food for my family of 8 members with the remaining amount.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($471 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 8 am while on my way to look for casual labor when I received a message on my phone. Upon checking, I was shocked to see a huge amount of money that had been sent to me, I scrolled down the message and remembered that we had been promised by GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with happiness and I got energized to go and search for more jobs to do so that I could add whatever I get to the amount I had received.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before GiveDirectly graced my life, my children were a laughing stock at school due to the kind of uniform they were wearing. They were torn and ragged-like and this state did not give me peace of mind. The fact that my children did not have a place to sleep was also giving me sleepless nights. Thank you to GiveDirectly. The transfer I received changed the lives of my children and we are all comfortable. I managed to buy them school uniforms and build a house for them. As of now, they are comfortable living in their own house not like before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being a father of 6 children in primary school, the first thing I did after withdrawing the money was to buy school uniforms for them all. This is because they had been going to school with torn uniforms because whatever I get from my daily jobs was insufficient, thus prioritizing fees and food. Thereafter, I constructed a house for them because the one I had was too small to accommodate us. This resulted in some of them sleeping at their friends’ residences; something that was not giving me peace of mind. For the remaining amount from the construction, I bought some food for the family.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My 2 daughters got married 5 years ago. The house we used to stay in then, collapsed immediately and I had to construct another one. I decided to build a small house, enough for me and my wife because I knew that my girls have started their own home. Unfortunately, one of my daughters separated from their husband and she came back with her 2 children. Since she came she has been seeking shelter from neighbors ( 1 kilometer away) because we can not share the same structure. My ambition has been to construct a second house so that my daughter can live a comfortable life with her children but due to financial challenges, this has never come to pass. I am planning to spend KES 59,000 on the house. Other than that, I will consume the remaining amount on school fees.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After attending the give directly meeting 2 weeks ago and the officer told us that they will be coming back for enrollment, this brought a lot of joy to my life. I knew that my dream is becoming true. I have been waiting for Give directly for 3 years now.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability is the biggest hardship I am currently facing. I dropped out of school when I was in class 6. My friend advised me to drop out to go work and earn money. By then, I thought this was the best way to do it. Only to realize later that it was a wrong decision. Since then, I have been doing casual jobs ( house construction). This job is tiresome, not guaranteed, and earns me KES 450 in a day. This is not enough to sustain all our needs such as shelter.
