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 ($442 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?
Yes. I do have a new goal which I got after I received a transfer from GiveDirectly. I do depend on mixed farming as my main source of income and to ensure that I produce more, I would like to acquire a piece of land so that I can plant some feeds for livestock. I believe that when there is plenty of feed, my cows would produce milk for sale. I will have a continuous supply of milk which would guarantee a regular income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I like what GiveDirectly did, they included every household in the program. There were no biases in the enrollment process, all the eligible people were given money.
To me, I never saw anything that this organization never did well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As a farmer, I saw it was wise to acquire a new breed to add to my stock of cattle. I spent KES 34000 on buying a lactating dairy for milk production. I opted to buy one so that I can have milk for sale and also to sustain my milk business which I operate. I then spent KES 20000 on buying four sheep for rearing. I chose to buy sheep since they mature faster and reproduce twice a year.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($483 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I am a mason and as I was winding up with my work, I heard a peep sound indicating that I had just received an SMS. I became so happy on checking and realizing that it was a Mpesa message indicating that GiveDirectly had honored their promise. This message gave me hope that I would achieve all of my plans and since it was already in the evening I decided to first inform my family about it before cashing them out.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We have been living in a one-room house and with the help of GiveDirectly, I have been able to build a more spacious one consisting of two rooms. Because of this, my life has not only changed but that of my brother will also change very soon since I will leave our current house for him. Due to this, he will have his privacy since he will be sleeping alone.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When GiveDirectly came for enrollment, we decided as a family that we would spend our transfer to build a more spacious house so that as our family grows, our children would have their bedroom. Because of this, I will leave our current house for my younger brother so that he would not be sleeping at our neighbor's house anymore. My transfer came in handy in buying all the necessary building materials and paid for the labor at KES 35000. In addition, we spent KES 15000 to expand our current business of buying and selling milk by paying for them in advance since getting milk nowadays has been hard due to the dry season that we recently faced. I spent the remaining amount on food and other basic needs for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
In December 2021, I used KES 1000 to open a dairy business to sustain my family of 2. I initially purchased 22 litres of milk at KES 35 a litre which I later sold at KES 50 per litre to earn a profit of Ksh 330. Ever since this business picked up in late December, I have been yearning to expand it further to increase the profits. However, this has been in vain for I have not had enough money to do so. When I heard that GiveDirectly is coming to our village, I was relieved because I was now sure that my dream will be fulfilled. I intend to use KES 10000 to expand the business and the profit I will earn will be used to support the family needs such as food and clothing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In January 2020, I got married to my wife and we were blessed with a child in July 2021. My joy was cut short because our child unfortunately passed on 4 hours after birth due to complications. Since then, I have been frustrated and almost lost my sense of life. However, in the past six months, my wife has been my source of strength and joy for she has been encouraging me on the meaning of life. I have found a renewed hope in life and a reason to move on because she has given me a shoulder to lean on.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constraint is a challenge I am currently facing. Since my family of 2 depends on the milk business to sustain us, we sometimes run into losses as we use the profit to purchase food for the household. Furthermore, the milk farmers can deny us access to milk leading us to the reduced stock of even up to 5litres. With the current drought and hunger season, milk production has been low hence impacting negatively on our profits and this saddens me.
